


Compendium of Ghosts

by Cozmotic



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/F, M/M, Spoilers, bokoblin raised link
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-02-09 08:21:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12883854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cozmotic/pseuds/Cozmotic
Summary: In which Links time in the Shrine of Resurrection wasn't peacefulor where Link struggles, but he doesnt struggle alone.





	1. Day: ???

**Author's Note:**

> So... second fic ever. This will be a fic mostly about Link traveling all over Hyrule like in the game, but occompanied by the other champions ghosts at times. Its mostly just uncovering links past, developing link and the other characters, relationship drama, stuff like that. Its gonna take a while to get to the point where we get to the first champion tho and have them following link around. Itll start off pretty slow so apologies. I will probably put a better summary when the ball really starts moving tbh.
> 
> Im waiting till the 2nd dlc comes out to really start writing the stuff with the champions cause I dont want to write something and then completely have to change everything lol.

You feel as though the dark is all you have ever known. All encompassing blackness surrounds you from which you have no escape. You have no sense of time here, no way to tell which is up and which is down. You cannot even move, trapped staring into the never ending abyss. You stare and stare and stare and stare and try to scream, try to cover your eyes. Yet your body doesn’t respond, so all you can do is keep looking onwards into the void. It looks right back at you.

_______

Sometimes, if you focus all your energy, you can just barely twitch your finger. Doing so makes you feel tired beyond belief, but you have to practice. If you can manage to move a finger, you can eventually move your hand, then your arm, then your legs, and then your whole body. You could leave, but you have to practice. Practice, practice, practice. So when you aren’t staring, aren’t trying to scream, aren’t sleeping, you put all your energy on trying to move.

_______

You sleep a lot. Not that you actually feel the need to sleep here. You don’t feel discomfort, no hunger. You feel tired after practicing, yes, but no need to sleep. The only time you sleep is when what feels like many hands pull you from behind, covering your entire being with their spindly fingers, dragging you further into the abyss somewhere. Then you wake up again. Rinse and repeat. 

_______

You're getting better at moving. You moved your entire arm at one point. Just a little twitch, but its progress. You felt a strap holding down your arm that you could not see. You reasoned that those must be covering your entire body if you can’t move. Maybe if you keep trying to move you can eventually break them.

_______

Sometimes, you think you here talking. It seems to be coming from all over, and you can never make out what it is saying. When you try and listen in on it, it fades out, and all you are left with is the void. And the void has nothing to say.

_______

You can move both your arms now. You can only do it for a little bit at a time, but you should be able to move your legs soon enough at this rate. You still cannot open your mouth, feeling as if it was stitched shut. You can’t even grunt behind your closed teeth, feeling some blockage in the back of your throat whenever you do. You wonder what you did to deserve this.

_______

You stare and stare and stare and stare and stare and stare and stare and stare and 

_______

You tried to lift your head. You put all your energy into moving your skull upwards, straining against some invisible strap on your forehead and neck. An unknown amount of time was passing, and you were not going to give up. You felt the energy leave your neck muscles, begging you to cease, but you were doing this NOW.

As if on cue, you felt a crack in the straps. You pushed harder, feeling it give way like it did with your arms. Then you felt a pair of arms wrap around you, enveloping you into sleep like the other hands never do. Those drag you down viciously, digging their nails into your skin, forcing you to go with them. These feel so warm, so inviting, that you wouldn’t mind sleeping near as much if they treated you like this every time. As you were being lulled into a deep slumber, you heard a voice echo in your mind.

“Sleep.”

So you slept.

_______

Since The Voice, as you dubbed it, the straps all over your body have grown much stronger. You struggle against them, yet you can never manage to break these like you did before with your arms. Of course, that Voice seemed nice, but just when you thought you had a fighting chance to be free, it took that away from you the next time you woke. Now all you can do is what you used to do; look onward into the nothingness. 

_______

You still have no idea how much time passes here, but you notice you never age. At least, you don’t think you have. You didn’t notice any wrinkles or age spots on your arms for the time when you could still move them. So you can knock off “dying from old age” from your list. You never have gotten sick here, and you still feel no pain, save when the hands grab you. You come to the conclusion that you can’t die from an illness here, either. 

Maybe you're already dead. Maybe you’re dead and this is where you’ll be for the rest of eternity, in this never ending expanse of blackness with just yourself, your thoughts, and the hands, and sometimes The Voice.

Maybe eternity has already passed, and you will never know.

_______

You stare and stare and stare and stare and stare and you just want to leave you just want to move you just want to feel anything but the pain of the hands digging their claws into you and you stare and stare and stare and stare and stare and stare and stare

_______

Maybe you are the void. Just a part of this endless nothingness. Maybe you just imagined having arms and legs and a body and you are just the void itself. It’s just taken you this long to realize how pointless this all is. How can you escape from yourself? So you stop thinking, stop struggling. Nothing you do can save you anymore. There is no point in doing anything if it can’t help you leave; all it does is make your suffering worse. So you stop. 

You look onwards into the blackness, and it smiles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An ethereal light pierces the darkness. The Voice makes itself heard once again;

“Open your eyes.”

So you wake up.


	2. Day: 1

“Open your eyes.”

Your vision turns white as the ethereal light spreads across the darkness, forcing it to retreat. It blinds you with its glow, but eventually it fades as well and all you see is some sort of intricate design above you, with blue lines reminding you of constellations. You hear The Voice again, sounding from all around over the sound of liquid draining.

“Wake up, Link.”

This should be the part where you sit up and take in your surroundings, but you just stare at the ceiling. What if this isn’t real, and you will try to move and you’ll be stuck, tugging against those straps that won’t allow you an inch to move? What if you try and you end up back there again? As you continue to look up, however, you start being overwhelmed with sensations. The feeling of wet hair against your forehead and neck, the goose bumps on your skin from the cold air, the slight buzzing in the room. So many things you hadn’t felt or heard there, where there was no sensation of touch, no noise except for The Voice, nothing. 

As you start to get overwhelmed, you notice your eyes are starting to get very dry from not blinking. You never actually closed your eyes there, except when you slept. So you decide right then that if you blink, and you are still looking at the ceiling, that this is real. If you blink, and it’s not, well… Whoever or whatever is making you suffer just got more creative.

You look on for a moment longer, and then blink. 

Nothing changes.

You sit up as fast as you can, immediately feeling light headed from forcing your body to move too quickly too soon. But you don’t care, however, and throw yourself over the edge of the platform. You end up falling to the ground, and as you look up you realize that the intricate pattern wasn’t the ceiling, but more like a lamp above you, being supported by glowing tubes also carved with those same patterns. You stand after a bit, taking in the coldness of the floor, and turn your head, feeling the bones creak in your neck after not moving in so long, and this is REAL and you can MOVE and you’ll never go back there again, when you notice a pedestal. 

You walk towards it slowly, still giving your body, and your senses, time to adjust. When you reach out to investigate it, a circular tile raises and spins from within it, and presents some sort of box to you. The voice makes itself heard again;

“That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it. It will help guide you after your long slumber.”

As there was nothing else in this room as far as you could tell, you reach out and take it with both hands. The black screen lights up with the same symbol as was on its back, a blue eye with 3 triangles on top with a teardrop on the bottom. You have never held this before, but you know, from deep within you, that this is somehow familiar.

You don’t linger on that thought, as a door lifts itself open in front of you as the pedestal resets to its original position. Walking through, you see two chests, which ended up containing a raggedy set of clothes, and a strap in which you can connect your Sheikah Slate on. They are a bit too short for you, but the cold was going to be a bit bothersome at some point, and it’s better than nothing. The shirt is a bit starchy and itchy, which you can say is a feeling you definitely do NOT like so far, but you try to ignore it as you notice another pedestal further ahead.

When you approach, The Voice answers your unasked question;

“Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way.”

So you do just that, which the pedestal changes from orange to blue, and “authenticates” the slate. After confirming it, the next door glows and opens, revealing rays of light shining down into where you are. You step forward and cover your eyes reflexively for a moment, but you drop it as your eyes go wide and you start running. You register The Voice saying something as you run and climb, but you can’t hear it over your thoughts, saying “freedom, freedom, it’s right there, get out, freedom”. 

Before you realize, you end up at the edge of a cliff, looking off into the vast wilderness before you. Your rapid thoughts stop in their tracks as you take in the sight before you, of the leaves swaying gently in the trees, of the sun rising over distant mountains, of the pink clouds in the sky. You hear the birds chirping, you smell the grass and the dirt and it all smells so fresh, it all sounds so wild and open, it all looks so beautiful, and you just want to stand here forever and wonder “Is this what being free is?”, when your eyes widen, realizing something you haven’t done yet since waking up.

So you take a deep breath, and you scream. You scream, and you yell, and your throat is sore from who knows how long of it not being used until now, but you don’t care. You yell and you keep yelling, and there are tears streaming now, and you still can’t believe it, when you lose your footing and you start to fall down the cliff-

“Whoa now,” someone said as a hand grabs your arm, yanking you back from falling to your death, “be careful!” 

After stumbling back a few steps, breathing heavily from all the screaming you just did and almost dying, you look up at whoever just saved you, to be met with a huge, white beard and brown eyes. You can’t find the words to say, so you just look at him. He looks right back at you and smiles a little. 

“Forgive me for interrupting you, but I don’t see many strangers around these parts. I was walking up here to question all the screaming, but luckily I did just that, I suppose. Good thing this old fool is a bit nosey!” he says, laughing to himself at the end.

You look on, and say the first words that come to your mind;

“You… You’re really tall.”

He looked a little taken aback at this, but laughed. “Yes, I am.” He let go of your arm, adding “And you are quite short for a Hylian yourself.” You felt your ears twitch and your brows furrow at that, but he starts to walk down the path without you, saying “I have some baked apples near the fire, and I can’t eat them all myself, now.”

You watch him walk ahead of you, and you almost don’t, because who even is this old guy who just snuck up on you and kind of insulted you, even if he saved your life? But then your stomach growls, and it feels like you haven’t eaten in years, and a little voice in your mind whispers “maybe you haven’t”, and you decide that if you weren’t going to die falling off a cliff, you weren’t going to die of hunger either.

__________

After eating nearly all of the old man’s apples, and eating a few more apples off the tree next to you both, you continue onward down the path to the Temple of Time. The old man looked a bit humored by you shoving the apples down your throat, telling you that while he could save you from gravity, he can’t save you from choking. He went on and started talking about how you both were on the Great Plateau, the “birthplace of the kingdom of Hyrule”, he had said. He also mentioned something about the Temple of Time beyond the hill, which sounded interesting.

You were still taking in how delicious those baked apples tasted, how the fire had licked them in such a way that their taste exploded in your mouth, and you thought to yourself as you walked along, that taste was one of the best senses you’ve gotten back.

Being distracted from how tasty those apples were meant that you didn’t notice the pair of eyes that followed you from low in the grass till you heard a low oinking coming towards you. You looked to your left to see a red creature coming towards you holding a branch in its 3 fingered hand, its bright blue eyes following your every move. Its overly large ears seemed to pick up your shock, and it flashed its sharp teeth at you while it snorted air through its nose.

In that moment, for some reason, even though this creature’s body language screamed “threat”, your body thought “stand here and do nothing”. So you did exactly that, completely frozen watching this thing come towards you. As it raised the branch over its head, your body decided “I don’t want to die from a damn tree branch”, and you ran. You ran down the path towards the Temple of Time, running past all of the other creatures along the way, until you made it inside, hiding behind a chest while hearing them sniff around. 

Once you heard the sniffling stop, you decided it was safe to look around. The chest ended up containing a bow, but no arrows, but you took it anyway. Most of the windows are broken, and the ceiling has collapsed at some parts, letting the morning light shine through. The wilderness has started taking this place back, as grass has replaced what floor this building had, and vines are growing along the walls and ceiling as well. In the middle is a statue that you recognize as the Goddess Hylia. You kneel down in front of the statue and pray a silent prayer, asking that she give you strength to help you along the way. Her statue smiles down upon you.

__________

You ended up being thrown on your back as the platform you activated ascended way too fast for your liking. You had looked at your Sheikah slate after wandering outside, still a bit wary about more of those red monsters, when you noticed an orange icon on the screen. You recalled The Voice saying something about a “glowing point” while you were busy running for your life, so it probably meant that, as you were sure the blue one was where you woke up. Thankfully, you were able to distract creature standing guard by tossing an apple you still had. You did hear the pedestal say, “Watch for falling rocks”, but you still added “being flung into the sky against your will” as something you did not like to your imaginary list.

After the pedestal seemed to give your slate a map of the surrounding area, you looked over the edge, wondering how you were going to get down from up here.

“Remember…Try… Try to remember.”

The Voice calls to you again, and you raise your head to see the same ethereal light you once saw in the middle of a distant castle.

“You have been asleep for the past one hundred years.”

…What?

You had no time to dwell on that, as the tower started to shake from the force of black and pink tendrils rising at the castle.

“The beast… When the beast regains its true power, this world will face its end.”

The beast… is exactly that. 

It raises its shadowy body from the ground, circling around the castle. Its unblinking eyes glow with ferocity as it extends its jaws far beyond what looks comfortable, and let’s out a roar that shakes your core. You broke out into a cold sweat, just seeing how huge this thing is. Your stomach drops, and you can’t help but notice the slight feeling of failure as you watch this monster circle the castle, not knowing why. But you know just looking at it that The Voice was sincere; if this creature is able to get its strength back, nothing will be left but the ashes.

The light intensifies, and the beast lets out one more roar as it fades away, leaving the same tendrils circling the castle.

“Now then… You must hurry, Link. Before it’s too late…”

You stood there, looking at the castle long after The Voice and light have faded away. After the beast disappeared, you had remembered what The Voice had said before, that you were asleep for one hundred years. You had so many thoughts rushing at the same time; why, how are you not dead, was it really only a hundred years, why was it you, is this really happening, why, why, WHY. Then, as these thoughts rushed in your mind, they were brushed away as though by a gentle breeze, and you were left with nothing. And you stared, just like you did before, watching the shadowy tendrils circle around endlessly, not really processing them or anything.

“Taking in the view, are we?”

You turn around, the old man from earlier behind you.

“How… How did you get up here?” Your voice is still slightly raw from all the yelling earlier.

He looks down and says, “Towers like this one here have erupted across the land. Almost as if a long dormant power has been awakened. Would you not investigate that?”

He has a point, but as you were about to ask how someone as old as him was able to climb this, he interrupts you.

“If you do not mind me asking… Did anything… Odd occur while you were up here alone?”

“I heard a voice.” You say, mentally smacking yourself for letting that slip. The old man called himself nosey earlier, but you doubt he wants to hear something that will make question your sanity.

He raises his eyebrows, “And did you happen to recognize this mysterious voice?”

Well, you already let it slip, so you may as well tell him the truth. “Yes… I have heard it before. While I was… In there.”

“In where?”

“Behind where you found me yelling.”

He looks at you for a moment, then recollection crosses his face as he nods, “Ah, yes. That is known as the Shrine of Resurrection.”

Now THAT peaks your interest, but he interrupts you by turning and pointing his rusty lantern into the distance. “I assume you’ve seen that atrocity enshrouding the castle.”

You both look at the castle, as he goes on, “That… Is Calamity Ganon. One hundred years ago, that vile entity brought the kingdom of Hyrule to ruin. It appeared suddenly and destroyed everything in its path. So many innocent lives were lost in its wake.”

“For a century, the very symbol of our kingdom, Hyrule Castle, has managed to contain that evil. But just barely. There it festers; building its strength for the moment it will unleash its blight upon the land once again. It would appear that moment is fast approaching…”

He turns to look you, and your eyes meet, “I must ask you… Young one… Do you intend to make your way to the castle?”

You stay silent, thinking about what he just said, and you find that you can’t answer.

“Well, I cannot blame you for your silence, as anyone would be hesitant to approach. “

He walks towards the edge, changing the subject, “How do you suppose you will be getting down from here?”

“I have no clue.”

He laughs, “Well, that is no good is it? You could always jump down that hole right there, and climb down,” and points to the hole in question.

You don’t have to look down to know that you’re up way too high to do that safely, and start getting a bit sick thinking about climbing down. He senses your apprehension, adding;

“Well, if you do not want to do that, there is another way,” and pulls out a red paraglider.

You had some questions about how that could hold two peoples weight, and if you would just fall straight to the ground, but he convinced you that you wouldn’t die immediately, so you stood behind him as you both grasped your hands to the bars and glided down. It was frightening at first, leaving the ground and being suspended in the air, but you quite enjoyed feeling the weightlessness. If only the old man wasn’t blocking your view with his back, you could actually enjoy the scenery.

After safely landing on the ground, you asked if you could have it, wanting to experience it again. He asks for treasure in return, resting inside a glowing dark rock nearby with the same symbol on your slate. Seems reasonable, so you venture over as you think about how soft the grass feels against the soles of your feet.

__________

You lay in the grass, watching the clouds pass overhead. The sun was close to fully set, causing the clouds to glow bright shades of orange, with the sky growing darker and darker. You run your hand through the grass, feeling it tickle your palm. You need to start writing down all the things you enjoy and don’t enjoy, so you decide that will be the first thing you do when you find some paper.

The shrine had somehow contained an entire room far underground, and gave you a rune for your Sheikah Slate which allowed you to move around metal objects. You sport a nasty bruise on your chest from a machine that hit you dead on with a laser, but you destroyed it using a metal block to hit it into the water below. The shirt, however, had a massive hole from that, so you decided to abandon it. It was too itchy, anyway. 

You had exited the shrine to be met by the old man again, paragliding out of nowhere. He seemed to know you had received a spirit orb, which you had questioned how he knew that. “Clairvoyance!” he had answered. Well, alright then. He had left you with the fact that to get the paraglider, however, you still needed to get three more spirit orbs. You had argued, saying that wasn’t what he said, but he just replied, “Well, I suppose I changed my mind. I’m sure that won’t be a problem for a young go-getter like yourself!”

He had told you that you can try finding other shrines by going to a high vantage point, like the tower, and that you could travel instantly to the blue marks on your map. But, no, you were petty in that moment, and decided “fuck that, I’ll find these shrines by my damn self. I won’t use your advice.” You had walked off, leaving him there, but after some time you were having no luck finding any. So you took a break, and here you were, enjoying the sunset.

As you lay in the grass, you were thinking about what exactly you knew, which as you slowly realized, wasn’t much. You knew from The Voice your name was Link, and that it’s been one hundred years, which you were desperately trying not to think about further. You knew from the old man that you both were on the Great Plateau, and you knew that the world was going to end soon. All of what you know is from what others have told you, besides recognizing the statue in the temple. Trying to recall anything else was like trying to grasp water, slipping through your fingers leaving you only with the slightest feeling it was ever there. You wonder if it has something to do with the shrine you were stuck in, but you have made the resolve to think about that as little as possible, so you shove that thought down quickly.

Thankfully, you could ignore your thoughts further, as you found a distraction in a delicious smell coming from the north. You stood and followed the smell, leading you to a cabin. The old man sat on a log, stirring something in the cooking pot in front of him. You were tempted to walk away in the other direction, but your empty stomach betrayed you, growling at the thought of leaving something that smelled that good behind. You walked closer to the pot, and he stopped stirring to acknowledge you.

“Oho ho! Did my cooking distract you from your task at hand?”

You wanted to say “Yes, quit cooking such delicious food and let me find these shrines in peace” but it came out as; “Can I have some?”

He patted a spot on the log next to him, “Well, make yourself comfortable then.”

You sat and watched him stir the pot for a few minutes, enjoying the heat of the fire as the sun was fully set now, leaving the cold to bite at your skin. You both then started to eat what he called a Cream of Vegetable soup, explaining all the different ingredients to you. You let the soup coat your tongue, enjoying the slight bitter taste of the Hyrule herb being combined with the salt, and the sweetness of the warm milk to create an excellent blend of tastes.

You were on your fourth bowl when the old man told you that he will be heading to bed soon, and to excuse him as he went inside his cabin to get ready. You nodded your head, and kept eating as you watched him go inside and sit at his table, writing inside of a journal under the light of his lantern. By the time he had rejoined you, the pot was nearing empty, and you had grabbed some nearby wood to add to the fire. He had changed into a simple long sleeve grey shirt, and comfortable looking black pants. His hood was removed as well, revealing his flowing white hair. You had to admit, you wanted your hair to look that good when you were old.

“I assume you have adequate shelter somewhere nearby?”

No. “Yes.”

He nodded, “Well, I am going to retire then. If you need light to help you find your way, there is a torch near where the wood is. Good night.” 

“Good night.”

You were left alone again, and you watched the fire grow dimmer and dimmer as time went by. You were a bit anxious to fall asleep again, because what if you don’t wake up for who knows how long? You tell yourself that’s silly, but you can’t help to still be scared by those thoughts. Eventually, before you realize it, you had drifted off to sleep, lying on the ground near the still warm ashes of the fire. 

When you awoke the next day, you found a blanket resting on top of you, with the old man nowhere in sight.


	3. Day: 2-4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i took off the zelda/urbosa tag after playing the champion dlc cause i genuinely thought urbosa was like... 23 at the oldest. But the dlc implies shes like 30+ and i was like :/
> 
> But fear not, cause I have decided something else that i think will work out better instead if you read the tags again :)
> 
> Im sick while writing this so im so sorry if something doesnt make sense

You learned the red monsters name, Bokoblins, from reading the old man’s diary. You felt kind of bad about it, but in your defense, he left it wide open on the table like he wanted you to read it. That and it might help you learn more about the plateau. You did learn that the old guy loves cooking; most of his journal was about that, save for some passages about how Bokoblins stole some wood or leftovers again. You noticed near the end he mentioned that he would give someone his warm doublet if they managed to figure out an ingredient he forgot in a recipe. As you still are in need of a shirt, this task outweighs your need for the paraglider for now. You felt a bit silly having the blanket wrapped around your neck like a cape, but it will do for now.

Since he said it was called spicy meat and seafood fry, and he knew it had meat and spicy peppers in it, that must mean the missing ingredient is fish. If you were near the ocean, that would make it more difficult, but since you’re on an elevated plateau, there are only a few options to choose from. But, when you found a pond to get fish from, you remembered that you still didn’t have arrows for your bow. You can’t just dive in after them since they’ll swim away, so maybe if you find some string and a branch, you could try fishing, but that might take a long time-

An oink from behind you startles you, and you whip around to see a bokoblin holding a club who does not look pleased to see you. Its grip on the club tightens, and it raises it up over its head. You start to accept your fate, but then out of nowhere, you know exactly what to do.

You lower your ears as low as they can go, sticking out your bare neck as you hold your arms out, palms facing up, showing that you are not a threat. This stops the bokoblin in its tracks, cocking its head to the side, confused. One part of your brain is confused, “How do you know to do this? How do you even understand any of this?” The other part feels as though you’ve been missing something like this for a long time, which just confuses the first more.

It continues staring, until you see the realization in its eyes. The bokoblin perks it ears in delight and jumps a few times, letting out a small shriek. It motions for you to follow, and while you are hesitant at first, maybe this bokoblin could help you find some arrows. So going against what most people who don’t have a death wish would do, you follow it.

\------

You stood outside the small campsite as the Bokoblin you first encountered told you to stay there with a grunt, pointing to the ground. You watch as it trots up to two other Bokoblins, both trying to start a fire. You found it funny when the Bokoblin pointed to you, and the biggest out of all of them widened its eyes and hit the other on the side of the head. You do not find it funny when it grabs a sword, oh Hylia that looks sharp, and started to make its way towards you. You nearly started to run for it when the first bokoblin grabbed its arm and shook its head, pointing at its mouth, then at you. The one with the sword looked confused at this, and they stood there arguing for a good minute. The last one was content to continue trying to make a fire unsuccessfully.

The large one seemed to get fed up, and shoved the first one away. You had made to run away, but saw the one you encountered waving in the background, motioning for you to stay. Before you knew it, a sword was being pointed right at your neck by the largest. As if by instinct, you knew what to do. You lowered your ears as low as they could go, making sure not to make eye contact as you presented your palms yet again. You strained your neck higher, feeling a slight cut from the sharp metal. The bokoblin holds the sword for what seems like forever (and your mind whispers “you’ve already experienced forever”) until it drops it by its side, seeming satisfied.

That seemed to be all you needed to gain these Bokoblins trust, as soon you found yourself sitting by the campfire you helped make, munching on roasted fish. You had signaled that you wanted arrows for your bow to go fishing, which they were willing to do, but seemed confused as Bokoblins cannot swim. Watching you swim into the water after shooting a few, however, seemed to completely open up their world. You think you might have destroyed the small ecosystem in that pond, as there now sat nearly 30 fish on the ground, waiting to be cooked. You were going to save one to make the meal the old man wanted, having found a spicy pepper at his house and shooting a bird with your new arrows.

The Bokoblins were enjoying the vast amounts of food you caught, nearly inhaling each bite. You found yourself enjoying your time with them more so than many others would, but if you wanted that paraglider, you would have to move on soon. So you stood, taking a fish with you, and letting out a farewell snuffle. They understood, but seemed hesitant to leave you without a weapon, giving you a spare boko club. You greatly appreciated their kindness, even if you could still only understand a little of what is said. Bokoblins were highly dependent on body language and facial expressions, but they still communicated in grunts and other sounds which you still have yet to completely decipher.

You made your way back the old man’s house, settling down on the log to get started. The cooking was done by the time the sun had started to set, and the old man returned from whatever he was off doing. He stops and smells the fruits of your labor;

“That smell… It smells exactly like my signature perfect dish!”

You smile knowingly, motioning for him to dig in.

You slept again next to the warmth of the fire, under the same blanket the old man had given you, but not before dropping off the leftovers at the Bokoblin camp.

\------

You found the next shrine at Eastern Abbey, but taking a few steps in makes you regret ever agreeing to get the damn Spirit Orbs. You had left the moment a larger version of the machine you defeated earlier had aimed its sights at you. If a small one could give you the bruise the size of your head, you weren’t curious to see what this one could do. You finally took the old man’s advice after that, teleporting to the tower, only to find a shrine was right in the middle of laser town. So after managing to avoid death once again, you procured another Spirit Orb. You also have bombs now, which is a definite plus. 

You were now travelling up to the top of Mount Hylia. You had located the next two shrines, but decided to wait on it till you made it to the top of the mountain. You had met some other Bokoblins along the way, who showed you how to shield surf, albeit badly. You wanted to try it out yourself, getting a shield in exchange for some spicy peppers you had in your pockets. You had just gotten to the top to scope out a good spot when you saw the old man once more.

You waved, “Hi.”

“Hello.”

You felt the chilly wind blow across your face, prompting you to ask, “Aren’t you cold up here without your doublet?”

He nods, but doesn’t answer, staring off into the distance. You cock your head, waiting for a response. You prod further, “Then why are you up here?”

No answer. Maybe you should ask something else.

“Do you want to watch me go shield surfing?”

This prompts a small smile from him under his hood, leading to you completing the shrine down the mountain at his request. In return, he stood and watched you fall on your ass multiple times, laughing the whole time. You learned that while the doublet keeps you warm, if it absorbs too much snow, it gets pretty damn wet and useless. You also learned that, after climbing down the mountain together that the old man makes spicy meat and seafood fry much better than you do.

\------

The next day, you helped the old man cut down trees near his home. He taught you the proper technique of how to cut them down, which you used to cross the gap to get to the last shrine. You encountered two Bokoblins, who cheered you on as you climbed up the cliff side, making the anxious experience of climbing something so dangerous slightly better. You exited the shrine with an Iron Sledgehammer, dumping the boko club you had gotten, and another rune for your slate. Suddenly, you see the old man appear on his paraglider above you, landing right in front of you.

He saw the confusion written all over your face, but chose to ignore it;

“With this, you have now acquired all of the Spirit Orbs from the shrines on this plateau. Oho ho! Extraordinary!”

“That means… It is finally time. Link, it is time for me to tell you everything. But first…”

He motions to your Sheikah slate, “Imagine an X on your map, with the four shrines as the end points. Find the spot where those lines intersect. I shall wait for you there." He turns around and starts to glow, disappearing into nothing. You gasp, reaching out as if grasping him will somehow bring him back. Your hand goes through him, but you vaguely feel the sensation of wool as your hand slips through. Before you know it, hes gone, and all that is left is the words he departed with. You stand there for a while, thinking to yourself, “Hes a ghost? But how could he eat, how could he make food, wouldn’t the utensil fall through his hands,” and you decide “I can think about this when I get down from this cliff dozens of yards off the ground”. You do exactly that.

\------

You lay with the first Bokoblins you encountered while they slept. You had more roasted fish that night, and they danced and danced afterwards, but you didn’t partake, having too much on your mind. They had long since passed out, and the moon hanged overhead whispering that you should rest too, but you couldn’t.

You were thinking about the old man, and how he had disappeared right before you, and how you didn’t even bother to ask his damn name the whole time you’ve known him. It did explain how he could randomly appear on top of the tower, but why was he wandering around the whole plateau? Aren’t ghosts bound to one specific place? Why did he bother to make food if he was a ghost? He said that he was cold on top of the mountain, but how can ghosts feel anything? 

You roll over in frustration, listening to the snores of the Bokoblins. None of this made any sense. You know that you should follow his instructions and find the place he was talking about, but there was a part of you that was scared. Scared of what would happen if you do. You’ve only been awake for a few days, and you barely can handle things as it is. What if he tells you the truth and you can’t handle it? What if you go there and it was all a trick and you end up back there again and you’re all alone and you can’t leave and you can only stare and-

You stood, shoving the thoughts away violently. You decide, ‘Fuck it’, and sneak away from the camp, careful not to awake your hosts.

\------

It was a bit hard to find the right spot. At first, you had thought it was the pond beside the Temple of Time, so you had stood there for quite a while until you looked at your map again. You felt a bit silly after that, but it DID look like he might have been talking about the pond in your defense.

You now stand before the Goddess Statue, feeling stronger than when you had felt the whole time here. You just realized ‘Oh crap, I just used up the old man’s orbs he wanted’, when a voice spoke from above.

“The blessing of the Goddess has made you that much more resilient, I see…”

You turn and look up, seeing him once again, but hes surrounded by a teal aura, with small flames the same color appearing and disappearing as well.

He raises his lantern, and calls out “Here I am… Get up here-quickly!”He turns, and walks out of view.

As you tried to find a way up, you started to wish you had chose stamina since you doubt you can climb all the way up there, but you eventually found a convenient ladder. You climbed your way to the top of the Temple, careful not to fall off the side, and before you knew it, there he stood before you. 

You stare at each other for a moment, and you want to go back to how it has been since you woke up, where you were just getting the dumb orbs so you could get the paraglider. Where you would eat his delicious food, or listen to him talk about how random things like the best way to bake apples or how the Bokoblins near his house stole some firewood again. But you realize in that moment, that you won’t be able to do any of that anymore, and you both know it.

So he begins to talk. He tells you that he was King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, transforming in front of you to what you know is his true form. He goes on, telling you that he did not want to overwhelm you since you just woke up and don’t remember anything, so he disguised himself until he thought you were ready. He tells you of Ganon, of an ancient legend involving a princess with the blood of the goddess, and a knight with a sword that seals the darkness. He tells you that you are the knight who nearly died protecting the princess, who has been fighting Ganon for so long, and that princess Zelda was the voice you’ve been hearing. 

He asks that you save his daughter, and the land, before Ganon regenerates himself, and to head to Kakariko village to talk to the elder for more information about the path ahead. You say nothing the whole time, even when he gives you the paraglider.

You look at each other for what seems like a long time, paraglider in hand. He sighs, “And… I think that’s it. I’ve told you everything I can…”

He starts to fade away; asking one last time for you to save Hyrule, and all you are left with that he was ever there is the paraglider that smells faintly of campfire smoke. You make your way down the temple, and you try not to think, think about what all he said. About how you almost died one hundred years ago, how they stuffed you in that shrine and let you simmer until you were deemed fit enough to try and save the kingdom once more. You feel numb making your way down the hillside, barely feeling the cool night air against your skin. Stumbling, you make your way to his cabin and lay down next to the cooking pot, not bothering to start a fire to keep you warm.

You wake up the next morning with no blanket draped over you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i totally thought the first time i played that he wanted me to go to the pond. i had to look it up to figure out it was the temple of time


	4. Day: 5-8

His journal is exactly where it last was, seemingly undisturbed. The only additions to the table are a small satchel, and another journal. You run your fingers over the cloth material of the backpack, when you notice from the corner of your eye that the pages seem to have a new entry in them. You contemplate not reading it, as it could be disrespectful to his memory. However, he literally left it wide open, and almost wanted you to read it the last time you did, so you concede. 

He had written about how you had found the missing ingredient to his recipe, and how you got the warm doublet in return. He also mentioned how he had watched you go shield surfing, failing miserably, and you smile reading his depiction of how spectacularly you fell on your ass multiple times. 

The last few pages, however, took on a more serious tone.

_Link… Bit by bit, you may come to realize who I am. I am sorry for not revealing my true identity to you sooner. The truth is, after you awoke from your long slumber in the Shrine of Resurrection, I did not know how to tell you all there was to say._

_Perhaps deceiving you was not the right thing to do. ~~Still… you must admit I put on a great performance!~~_

_No, deceiving you was wrong. I cannot admit that it was truly a performance, either. I had wanted to tell you the moment I saw you run out of the Shrine of Resurrection, but when you nearly fell to your death, and I saw the fear in your eyes that was not just from almost losing your life, I knew that then was not the right moment. We knew that the Shrine would have consequences long before thinking of using it, memory loss one of them, but we could not have predicted what else it would do, short of putting someone in there. But I know from the way you take in everything, from food to the very air, like it could be your last, and how you constantly seem to want to cling to myself and those Bokoblins, that it was much, much worse than we could have imagined._

_Yes, I saw you with the Bokoblins near the Tower. I apologize for spying, but I could not help myself. I had begun to worry after not seeing any of the Shrines beginning to glow that you would forgo the quest I asked of you all together. However, I must admit my surprise when I saw you having quite the feast with three Bokoblins! I felt as though I was simply dreaming, myself, until a memory resurfaced from long ago. I remembered hearing whispers of a child who could beat trained adults in combat, followed by more hushed whispers of this boy being a wild child. How this child didn’t know the loving embrace of a mother, but was raised by a clan of Bokoblins for his early years till his rescue._

_I thought nothing of these rumors, thinking them as senseless gossip. I knew much later that after you chosen to be Zelda’s appointed knight that you were the child, but I had long forgotten those rumors of a Bokoblin raised boy. However, when I saw you dance and eat with those Bokoblins, I knew right then that you were that boy I had heard of._

_But I digress. I do not mind your origins. But, I know that even if we are far from alike, besides from our love of food, that I too know what you felt when you first awoke._

_When I first came back in the form of a spirit, I could not feel anything. I could not feel the grass give way under my feet, nor the wind blow against my skin, or the bite of the cold atop the mountain. I was neutral to this at first, but as years went by, I became terrified. Is this what it meant to be dead, to see the world continue on around you, yet to feel none of it? To no longer feel anything, but my own fear, was my personal nightmare for many, many years. I must admit I feel ashamed looking back on it, how my daughter was fighting for the sake of the entire land on her own, yet I was more concerned over my own lack of senses and feeling._

_I sat in the dark recesses of the Temple of Time for many decades. If I could not feel anything, I did not want to see anything either. I did not want to see how everything around me changed, acting as if I was not there. Seasons passed, the structure growing more and more unsound, when I was tired of doing nothing. I decided for myself that I would force myself to feel, to do something than lie in the darkness forever. So, I forced all of the energy I could muster, and how I longed to feel the stone of the Temple against my fingers. How I longed to feel the wind brush against my face, and how I longed to feel Zelda hug me once more._

_It took many tries, and many years, but one day I was able to feel the mossy ground and stone of the long decrepit Temple. I was ecstatic, to say the least. I explored the whole plateau, taking in everything I could for as long as I could. I had a newfound appreciation for everything around me that I did not have when I was alive._

_Before long, you come stumbling out of the Shrine of Resurrection, and I knew that my time here would come to a close, even as a ghost. I knew that when I would tell you all I knew, I would cease to exist, forever this time. So, I wasn’t truthful to you again, Link. While I did want to tell you the moment you came out, I didn’t. Not just because you weren’t ready, but also due my own fear._

_When you fell asleep outside my cabin the first time, I had wondered if I should tell you at all. If I should tell you to forget the Spirit Orbs, and we both live out our days on the plateau. You would forge your own memories here, not worrying about anything other than what thing you should experience for the day, and I continue to stay here in the mortal realm. I thought long and hard of it, but I knew it would not be right for the other citizens of Hyrule. What kind of king would I be if I allowed them all to die just because I wanted to keep existing?_

_So, I drove those thoughts from my mind, and waited till you had finished all the Shrines to tell you. But, again, when I saw you after you had finished the last one, I went back to my cowardly thoughts. I gave you a riddle I knew you would solve easily, and disappeared. I felt such immense shame at myself. The people of Hyrule did not deserve such a cowardly king to rule over them, broken kingdom or not. But I knew that I could not delay this any longer, and I went to the place that always brings my mood up; the top of Mount Hylia, the place where you asked me to watch you shield surf._

_I stood there, watching the sunset. When I was still alive, and Zelda was but a child, she would come into my room and ask to watch the sunset with me. I would oblige, and we would watch on the balcony as the sun set into the distance over Hyrule Field. Sometimes, she would demand to sit on my shoulders as to get a better view. My wife found this adorable._

_Before I meet you there at the Temple, I am glad I was able to experience the sunset once more, even if my daughter was not there with me. Thank you for allowing me that one small joy before I pass on._

_I have left for you a backpack blessed by the Great Fairy Cotera. She made this backpack be able to hold anything you put in it without being overfilled. It can only hold a limited number of weapons or shields, however. Magic isn’t perfect, as you may know. Just think about whatever it is you want to draw out of it while your hand is inside, and you shall find it. I have left the blanket I lent you inside of it, as well._

_I have also left you a blank journal. I want you to write down all the things you experience along the way, good or bad, inside of it. Not just for you, but for the both of us, so that I can continue to experience things in a way even while I am no longer here._

_I will be asking so much of you, Link, and I know you will doubt if you will be capable of doing it. But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can do it. I see fear in your eyes, which you try and bury and never show, but I see kindness as well, and the longing for experiences, something more. I see the courage I saw one hundred years ago, and I know that you can defeat this blight of Hyrule._

_There is one more thing I will ask of you, Link. When you see my precious daughter again, please tell her I am sorry._

_I believe in you, Link._

You throw the journal up against the wall and curl up into a ball on the floor. 

\------

The ruins down below the plateau remind you that one hundred years ago, the world nearly ended. The crumbled remains of buildings, and carts that long ago were driven by traders and families, say that this used to be a very populated place. You try not to stray for too long, as to not desecrate any sort of memories of something or someone here. You had found a journal, however, by a thief called Misko, detailing the location of many items he had stole and hidden. You write down their locations for later.

As you make your way on foot to Kakariko village, you learn more about how Bokoblin interactions work. You find more Bokoblins of different colors, and learn that the red ones are by far the dumbest. They are also the most trustworthy. The blue ones are more hesitant to accept you, and the black ones need much more than just a sign that you understand them to get them to trust you. It took you getting stung by bees retrieving a bee hive for the leader of one clan to trust that you weren’t there to hurt them. You found yourself liking the black ones the most, however. The ones at the camp near the Dueling Peaks even started to try and teach you Bokoblin language when they saw how hard it was for you to understand them.

You also realized just how important their arms were to them. The cloth they wear on their forearms seem to mark ranking in the groups, with the lower ranking ones wearing rougher and lighter colored fabric, and the higher ranking ones wearing darker and softer fabric. It helps explain why to signal you are trustworthy you show your inner arm, as it seems to be like how the underbelly of a beast is a weak point, they treat their inner arms in the same way. 

The black ones, when they get to trust you, also seem the most anxious to see you leave. With the red ones, if you look as though you could attempt to fight something off, are fine with you leaving. The blue ones will give you a few extra arrows or a weapon or two, but the black ones at the entrance to Dueling Peaks personally escorted you along the river till the stable was in sight! It was amusing how frightened a travelling merchant became once he saw two Bokoblins lumbering behind you. You did buy some meat from him as an apology for scaring him so badly, and also to give to the Bokoblins. Once they were sure you could travel the rest of the way, they showed you the proper Bokoblin good bye. They rubbed their cheek against your neck on both sides and touched your forehead with their snout. You swear that the longer you spend with Bokoblins, the more adorable they become.

\------

After a finishing a few shrines, and climbing part of the way up the Dueling Peaks so you could get the Tower, you were making your way up to Kakariko village. You had met this nice merchant, Beedle, along the way who had pointed you in the right direction. You had spent the night at the stable talking about food and bugs. After everyone had slept, you sat next to the fire writing down everything that you could think of so far. A few entries included “Spicy food”, “Baked apples”, “The wind against my body while paragliding”, and “Honeyed Apple”. You were noticing that you were a little obsessed with food.

The way up to the village was a bit of a trek, as it was an uphill climb. You wish you had caught a horse to ride on, but all of them had noticed your presence and were scared off.  
You ended up finding a giant korok along the way, whose name was Hestu. They asked for you to get their maracas back from some Bokoblins up the trail, which was easy enough. You traded some glazed meat you had in your pouch for them. Hestu increased the size of your weapon and bow inventory as thanks in exchange for some korok seeds you had found, which was very helpful. They said that they had to leave, however, as their granddad was going to get worried about them if they didn’t, so you bid Hestu farewell and continued along the path.

\------

Kakariko village was a small village, mostly of farmers and merchants, but full of life. You found yourself instantly drawn towards the atmosphere of this quaint, isolated village. You ignored the stares, knowing that an outsider is a rare occurrence, but you didn’t notice how they were glued to the slate at your hip. You stood in front of the largest building in town, figuring that Impa must be in there, but you were stopped by two guards.

“You there! Who are you?! How dare you trespass upon Lady Impas abode!”

You started to explain what you were there for, until you realized how unbelievable it would sound. “Oh yeah, the ghost of the king of Hyrule told me that the worlds about to end and that I should see Impa for guidance on how to make it not end.” Yeah, that would go over well.

Thankfully, the taller of the two noticed your Sheikah Slate and changed his tune. After some brief talking between themselves, they apologized and let you by.  
The inside of her house was a bit dark, the glow of an orb beside of her lighting up most of the room besides the door behind you being wide open and a few candles being lit.

Her wide brimmed hat lifts up as she looks at you and smiles, “So… You’re finally awake. It has been quite a long time, Link. I am much older now, but… you remember me, don’t you?”

You draw your brows together, trying to think of a memory of her, but as always, you remember nothing.

She begins to look worried, asking “What is the matter? You are looking at me as though I am a stranger to you. Those eyes… they lack the light of familiarity. It is I, courageous one. Impa. Surely you must at least remember the name Impa?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t, Lady Impa.”

Her eyes widen in shock at your statement. She takes a few seconds to recompose herself before she says, “I see… So you have lost your memory.” She shakes her head slowly, the chains on her hat jingling at the action.

“Well, it matters not. In fact, that may actually be a blessing in disguise for the time being. Dearest Link… please come a bit closer.” She waits until you are standing right in front of you before continuing. 

“A hundred years ago… Yes… A hundred years ago, the kingdom of Hyrule was destroyed. After you fell, Princess Zelda’s final wish was to place you in a sacred slumber. And then… All alone… Alone she went to face Ganon. Before Zelda went to nobly meet her fate… she entrusted me with some words she wished to say to you. I have been waiting one hundred years to deliver the princess’s message.

"However! These words, which the princess risked her life to leave you… Well, if you are to hear them… You must be prepared to risk your life as well. But I am afraid that burden may be too much to bear while you are still without your memories. I leave the choice to you. When you feel you are ready to receive the princess’s message, return to me.”

You want to tell her that you are ready to hear what the princess had to say all those years ago, but the look Impa is sending you tells you that she knows that you are not ready. So, you check out a bed at the nearest inn and sleep there for the night. A fellow traveler, Pikango, is boarding with you as well. He tells you he is travelling in search of beautiful landscapes to paint, and shows you the picture he is painting of the front of Impas home. It looks a bit cartoony, but you tell him you think it’s great anyway.

Long after his snores fill the air, you think about what Impa said. Are you ready to risk your life to hear the words she has to say? So far, on the plateau, you risked your life getting to that one shrine surrounded by decayed Guardians, and that one that shot you in the chest in the one shrine. But other than that, you haven’t really done much. You’ve walked over here, did a Shrine over there that was just some dumb puzzle, talked to some Bokoblins. Since leaving the plateau, you haven’t had any sort of moment where you felt your life was in danger. 

You know that if you are supposed to be the one to defeat Ganon one day, you need to be able to risk your life to do so. But you just woke up over a week ago, and you feel as though you’ve had enough life threatening experiences already. Two were good enough for you. But you thought back to the king, and how he gave up existing to tell you what needed to be told. You remember how he wrote that he believed in you, and that without you, the world as we know it will end. Innocents will die all because you didn’t rise up to the call. 

So the next morning, you told Impa you were ready. She smiled, and made a comment about “Once a hero, always a hero” before stepping down from her tower of pillows, showing the tapestry behind her, and began explaining to you the legend from ten thousand years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this seems rushed but Im trying to push it along to get to like. the meat of the story lol


	5. Day: 9-12

You decided that you will never ride a horse ever again. Even after you went through all the trouble of buying those clothes that were supposed to make you sneaky, what does the horse outside the village do? Nearly kick your damn head off. And then, when you DO manage to snag a horse after climbing a nearby mountain and paragliding down off it, it starts running on its own. Out of all the places it could have ran it ran straight into a fully functioning Guardian. Thankfully, you escaped with all your limbs intact, but you think a horse god somewhere out there has cursed you to have shit luck with everything regarding horses, so no more horses for you. At least you have some nicer clothes now, and pants that actually fit you.

You know Impa told you that you needed to risk your life to save Hyrule, but that was a bit too soon for you, so you decided to calm down by helping a local girl make a dish for her family. Her father turned out to be one of the guards in front of Impas house, and you all enjoyed a nice carrot soup when he took a small break. Her sister did fling some at you, but you found it more funny than anything. Her father, however, was mortified she flung soup at the ‘legendary hero’. 

The nearby shrine had contained a Guardian that was supposed to teach you some vital fighting skills, and while you did have dodging down pat, parrying with your shield is something you are still going to have to work on. Pikango had found the blue glow of the now finished shrine to be quite pretty, so he had begun painting it till you asked if you could star in it as well. You looked a bit silly in his painting sitting on top of the shrine, but the colors came out quite nicely.

Before you knew it, you had travelled to the tower near Hateno village. The Bokoblins there were no trouble to deal with, but the Moblins were tougher. They mostly follow the same rules as Bokoblins, but are way, way dumber. You had signaled that you had wanted to climb the tower, but was wondering if you could have assistance taking down some of the spiky vines that surrounded it. The Moblin just picked you up and threw you as high as it could at the tower. It helped, but you had to pick a ton of tiny spikes out of you for the next hour.

\------

Purah was… something else. Taking notes about everything you did or how you reacted to things to see how long being in the Shrine of Resurrection affected you. It made you very uncomfortable, seeing as how you never want to think about that ever again. Her assistant Symin was nice, but after getting all the runes you could put onto your Sheikah Slate, you just wanted to get out of there. Especially after she was talking about how it was her who personally put you in there. Even if she didn’t know exactly what the effects would be, you couldn’t help but feel a bit angry.

You had made sure to check out all the shops before you left, stocking up on ingredients and arrows. You were going to buy armor while you were there, but it was heavy. As in, so heavy that you could barely walk. So you passed on it, even if it would give you a defensive advantage. You did end up dying your Hylian Hood black, which was nice.

You were making the way back to Kakariko village to show Impa how your slate was now complete, when you noticed a traveler standing alongside the path. You and her made eye contact, and she waved you over.

“I can tell you’ve trained-“

You raise your hand to stop her, “What’s your name?” You learned your lesson on the plateau, so you ask for everyone’s name first before anything else.

She pauses, looking at you strangely, “Um… Noma.”

“I’m Link.”

She narrows her brows, “Well, Link, can I continue now?”

You felt a bit bad for interrupting her, but you had to know. You nod your head.

“I can tell you’ve trained your body well… I’d say… your familiar with both sword and bow, correct? That’s a good skill set. Why don’t you join the Yiga Clan?”

“Yiga Clan?”

She raises her hand to her mouth, shocked, “What? You don’t know? Fine… I’ll tell you… The Yiga Clan… Its…”

She giggles, continuing, “A powerful, brave group of warriors, founded by Master Kohga and dedicated to defeating a warrior thought long dead. I will take your life!” 

Her outfit changes suddenly to a skin tight red bodysuit with an upside down Sheikah symbol on her white mask. She pulls out a sickle and starts to run towards you, but stops, seeing strands of blue going up into the sky where you were standing.

She growls, and stomps her foot, “Coward! Don’t run away from me!”

\------

You had teleported back to Kakariko village, deciding that it would be less hassle to escape than to fight that girl. That sickle looked way too sharp. Maybe you should have gotten that armor back in Hateno.

Impa was surprised to see you back so soon, but was glad to see your Sheikah Slate finally complete. She saw that there were twelve pictures on it, saying that this was the camera Zelda had used one hundred years ago. She had said that perhaps if you visit the locations in the pictures, you might regain some of your memories. You had forgotten all about those pictures, having just wanted to get out of the Ancient Tech Lab as soon as possible. But the thought of getting back some of your memories excited you, so you nearly burst out the door before she stopped you. She asked that after you visit one of those locations, to come back here so she could give you something. You had almost left before you remembered to ask her about the strange girl you saw earlier.

“Lady Impa, do you know anything about the Yiga clan?”

She shakes her head and smiles, “Please call me Impa, dear Link. But to answer your question, I do know of the Yiga Clan. Why do you ask?”

“I met one earlier before I got here.”

Her eyes widen, “Where did you meet them? Was it close to the village?”

You see the gears turning in her head, so you shake your hands in front of you, “No, no. It was past Hateno Fort. Not anywhere near here.”

She sighs in relief, “Thank goodness. Don’t scare an old woman like that, Link!”

“I’m sorry, Impa.”

“It is alright, dear. Do you want me to explain the Yiga Clan to you?” You nod.

“Very well then. However, to explain the Yiga Clan, I must also explain the Sheikah as well.

“The Sheikah Tribe has long been thought of as people of great wisdom. As you know, our technology was a key part in sealing away Ganon ten thousand years ago. At first, the people of Hyrule heralded our technological prowess as being the gift of the goddesses. But, after some time, the people grew wary of us. We were seen as a threat to the whole kingdom, even though our technology was what helped us save it. We then became outcasts, forced into exile. Some of us, specifically our village, strove to live normal lives and cast off our technology that had caused us such pain. 

“Others were not so forgiving. They started to hate the kingdom that they had helped saved, because they had turned their backs on us. Those people, founded by a man called Kohga, swore allegiance to Ganon and to help resurrect him once again to destroy the kingdom of Hyrule. Even though Ganon was sealed away, he knew of this, and managed to give Kohga an unnaturally long lifespan in return. And so for ten thousand years, they sought to bring back Calamity Ganon and blight the land once more. There is no doubt in my mind that they were a part of why Ganon came back before we were ready.

“They will now stop at nothing to destroy anyone who stands in the way of Ganon, including myself. And you too, Link. So please, be careful, for the sake of yourself and the kingdom.”

Your heart hurts at the thought of the kingdom distrusting the Sheikah all those years ago, but you understand. If this single tribe made weapons so powerful it could help seal away the apocalypse, you can see why the people of Hyrule would be so scared of them. Still, you cannot help but feel for them.

Impa senses your discomfort, and steps off her tower of pillows, “Would you like some tea? Paya should be done with it at any moment now.”

You learned that day that tea tastes disgusting, but you did write down in your journal ‘sugar cookies’ as something you enjoy.

\------

The Bridge of Hylia stands dilapidated but strong in the distance. The sun will be rising soon, but the stars still glisten overhead like their time isn’t numbered. You have built a small fire underneath the tree, waiting for memories to resurface, but you have had no such luck yet. You have stayed up all night waiting for something to happen, but it seems like all of this might be for nothing.

You have been practicing in the meantime, swinging your Travelers sword about. You must still have muscle memory from one hundred years ago, which would explain how good you are at both bow and sword, as that Yiga girl said. As you swing your sword, a small droplet hits your nose. Before you know it, the sky above starts drizzling. The soft pitter patter of rain surrounds you, and you feel a tickle in your brain. Very sight, but enough that you know that this has happened before. You turn around, looking at the statues, and you remember.

\------

_The sky overhead is mostly overcast, with glimpses of the sun poking out overhead. Rain falls at your feet as you practice your swordplay with an imaginary foe. Zelda sits on a rock behind you, looking up at the sky._

_“I doubt this will let up anytime soon…”_

_A moment of silence, save your grunts as you bring the Master Sword nearly through the stomach of your invisible foe._

_“Your path seems to mirror your father’s. You’ve dedicated yourself to becoming a knight, as well. Your commitment to the training necessary to fulfill your goal is really quite admirable.”_

_You look over your shoulder, holding your sword out in front of you as you listen further._

_She rubs her hands on her knees as she continues, “I see now why you would be the chosen one.”_

_Zelda sends you a weak smile, but turns her head as soon as she does, “What if… One day… You realized that you just weren’t meant to be a fighter.”_

_You turn all the way at this, and sheath your sword. She continues;_

_“Yet the only thing people ever said… was that you were born into a family of the royal guard. And so no matter what you thought, you had to become a knight. If that was the only thing you were ever told… I wonder then, would you have chosen a different path?”_

_She looks at the ground before her, acting as if she had not said anything as you take her in._

_“My path does not mirror my fathers.”_

_She lifts her head at your sudden statement, and you contemplate stopping there, but her look says to keep speaking._

_“I’m making my own path, even if it looks like his or the one he wants of me.”_

_You turn, unsheathing your sword. The light rain has stopped, and the sun has finally started to poke through. It glistens on your sword, and while you can’t see her face anymore, Zelda looks on in slight wonder at your words, and how the light makes your sword look even more ethereal._

_“And I think you should too.”_

The memory stops there, and you are sent back to reality at those last words. You are slightly reeling at being sent back so suddenly, but you have no time to think as the water of the lake suddenly parts in the distance, and a dragon appears. Its horn seems to pierce the sky before it, long and curving, and it lets out a roar as it exits the lake. Its green scales catch the rising sun, glittering as it circles over the bridge. Its beauty mesmerizes you, and even though you stand so far away, you swear you can feel static in the air as it flies. You stand there for who knows how long, taking in the beast, and you know at that moment that your journey across Hyrule has really just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh Link, when will you stop being a coward and start fighting stuff?
> 
> Also there is a yiga footsoldier right past the Hateno fort along the path to Hateno village. So kinda OC but also not, I just gave her a name. She will be coming back though :)


	6. Day: 14

You’re running as fast as your legs can carry you across a grassy field. A Guardian is right on your heels, its spindly mechanical legs trampling the plants beneath its claws. Your lungs feel as though they are filled with spicy peppers, and your throat burns as run for your life. You don’t have your bag which has all your weapons and shields in it, so all you can do is pray you can outrun this man made predator. 

It shoots laser after laser at you, and the grass nearby smells of ashes from the fire. The whole field catches ablaze, and you start to choke on the thick smoke. The flames roar around you, and you wonder if death by fire or smoke inhalation is worse.

A laser hits you square in the back, and you scream as it burns away layers of flesh and muscle. You fall to the ground, and tears stream across your face as you palm your injury. You swear you can feel your own spine smeared with your own sticky blood stained hand. The field around you starts to smell of burnt flesh as you lay there in earth shattering pain.

You barely manage to roll over when you hear its footsteps approach you. You see the Guardian tower over you, charging its laser to finish you off. You close your eyes, and you wish it will aim for your skull so you die quickly.

It fires its laser, and you feel yourself falling. You fall, and you fall, and you keep falling. You fall for what seems like eternity, until you open your eyes and it stops. Complete blackness surrounds you as you realize you can’t move. You start to freak out as you realize you’re BACK, and you can’t move, and you feel the hands start to drag you down once more. Except, instead of claws, you feel the hands of people you know. Their hands dig into your flesh just the same, but you cannot scream. You can only stare once more. You can hear their whispers in your ear.

“Once a hero, always a hero.” Impas kind voice rings in your ears as you feel blood drawn from their grasp.

“I believe in you, Link.” The kings deep voice is what you hear when the hands pull on your spine, dragging it out and snapping it in two.

The world goes silent before you hear Zelda’s voice break the silence;

“Scream.”

You open your mouth, and you let out scream after scream, and the hands rip your body apart further, and you can Zelda saying “Open your eyes” more times than you can count, until you are shaken awake.

“Link, open your eyes! Wake up, Link!”

Above you is Beedle, looking extremely worried. You’re sweating heavily, and you can barely breathe. You start to choke on air, and your heart feels as though it is about to explode. You’ve had this happen a few times before since you’ve woke up almost two weeks ago, but you were alone when all of those happened. You don’t want anyone, especially one of your friends to see this happen to you.

You dash out of bed, and run outside to avoid letting Beedle see you like this. You trip and fall on the ground outside the stable, and you lift your head up to see that the clouds overhead are moving unnaturally fast. The air around you is thick, exasperating your lack of air, and the moon overhead is growing darker and redder with every passing second. You are still staring at the sky when Beedle appears in front of you on his knees, grabbing your shoulders.

“Link, are you ok?!”

Oh no, you don’t want him to see you like this, but Beedle is strong from lifting that heavy sack around all the time, so you stay right there. He sees your teary face, and pulls you into a hug.

“It’s ok, it’s the blood moon, it’s almost over, just breathe, ok? Just breathe.”

You wrap your arms around him, and you let the tears run down your face. He tells you to focus on breathing, and as the blood moon passes, you find yourself breathing easier. You like the way his arms feel around you, and you think that it has been at least one hundred years since someone has touched you like this. The king helped you up a few times, or patted your shoulder, but never hugged you. You stay like that for a while on the ground, until he helps you up and takes you to the cooking pot nearby.

He leaves you there for a moment after checking to make sure you were breathing properly. When he returned, he brought back your bag and a few plates. You got out your blanket and wrapped it around you while he got to work making a soup. 

He stirred the ingredients in the pot in silence for a while before he asked you, “So, does that happen often?”

You had said nothing before that, embarrassed about the whole thing, “What does?” You know hes not stupid, but you hope he will drop it if you pretend nothing happened.

He sends you a look that says ‘Don’t play dumb’.

You wrap your blanket around you tighter as you say, “Only sometimes.”

“Is it connected with the blood moon? I’ve heard of some people who are sensitive with nature that get anxious or sick when the blood moon comes around.”

You know you should just tell him yes, but that would be lying, and you’re not gonna lie to Beedle, “I’m not really sure.”

“Oh, ok. Did you just have a bad dream then?”

“Yeah.”

He starts to spoon some of the soup into a bowl, and says, “Well, you don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to.” He hands you a bowl, and you start to sip on it. The salty broth tastes heavenly, and the chunks of chicken slide right down your throat.

“My mom used to make that for me all the time whenever I had a panic attack. I used to get them all the time when I was younger. She would help me to breathe, and then she would make me some soup to help me feel better.”

Beedle is peering down at his own bowl, barely touching his own portion. 

“You don’t have to tell me if it makes you feel bad, Beedle.”

He waves a hand at you, “No, it’s ok. I don’t get those much anymore; I was just getting it off my chest and letting you know I understand. Talking about it helps you feel better, but only when you’re ready. So if you wanna talk about it that’s fine, but don’t feel like you have to tell me.”

You both finish your portions before you ask him about the blood moon. He is flabbergasted that you had never heard of it before, but explains it to you. He says that the blood moon happens every month, with Malice tainting the air while the moon turns blood red and resurrects all monsters that were killed. People try and find shelter during this since the Malice can hurt your lungs if you breathe it in too much. He also says that people who are more sensitive to nature react more strongly to blood moons, hence his earlier questioning. You understand more about how Hyrule hasn’t recovered as much as it might have without the blood moon, since monsters would just come back when you killed them.

You made sure to add ‘Beedle’s chicken soup’ to your journal before you went back to bed.

\------

Beedle was making the trip to the Woodland Stable the next morning and told you the safest route would be to take the north road from the Wetland Stable you were at, and cross the Thims Bridge and take a right on the path. He even offered to accompany you for most of the way there, as it was on the same route as the Woodland Stable, but looking at your slate while he was showing you the directions proved that to also be the longest way to the Zora kingdom. Since that was the closest to Kakariko village, you decided to head there first.

You told Beedle about heading through the wetlands, and he told you that they were infested with Lizalfos, a lizard monster. You felt that you had it under control, however. You had seen a few Lizalfos in the river between the Dueling Peaks, but the two Bokoblins shrieked at them when they made their way over. No Bokoblin had given you any trouble so far, so you should have this down pat.

Beedle bid you farewell in front of the Wetland Stable, making sure to give you his leftovers from last night. In return you gave him a shiny green beetle you had found, and you heard him nearly jumping for joy as he walked away.

The wetlands were a bit gross, but your boots prevented any water from getting your feet wet. You had even found a shrine along the way. You encountered a sleeping Hinox, and you didn’t want to wake it up, so you decided to take the other path and walk through the Lizalfos camp.

There were at least ten Lizalfos scattered around, some taking watch while others seemed to be resting. You were walking semi calmly through, trying to ignore the confused stares from the ones resting. It was obvious no Hylian was ballsy enough to just walk through like they owned the place, so you sped up the pace. You broke out into a sprint when you felt an arrow graze your neck. You dashed through another camp, and now some of them were running at you with swords while others took to shooting at you. 

You manage to escape unscathed by the time you hit solid ground, most of them seeming somewhat pleased after you keep running towards the path, but one kept following you. You were just at a fork in the path when it shot out its tongue and wrapped it around your leg. You trip, getting a face full of dirt as it towers behind you. You roll over quickly as it drives its sword through the ground where you just were. You have no weapon equipped, hoping that the Lizalfos would not have been aggressive if they saw you were unarmed, but that sure did you a lot of good. You start to stand, and the Lizalfos jumps back. You know you won’t have time to reach into your satchel without opening yourself up to attack, so when you see it start to fling its tongue at you, you have an idea.

It shoots its tongue at you once more and you hold your arm in front of you, letting it wrap around your forearm. Beedle had told you when you asked for more information regarding Lizalfos that they are lightweight compared to other monsters, which allows them to float in water while others would drown. You keep that in mind when you grab its tongue with both hands, and swing. You propel it into a nearby tree, causing it to drop its sword as it reels on the ground from the impact. The tunic Impa had given you before you left lets you know that this Lizalfos doesn’t need much more to finish it off, and you make it quick as you drive its sword through its skull. You didn’t want to kill it, but you know it was after your blood as well.

You only just now notice the rain, having been more worried about other things. The sky overhead is dreary and dark, and you are thankful for your hood to at least prevent your hair from getting wet. You hate wet hair since it sticks to your neck in unpleasant ways, but you like your hair as is so you won’t cut it. 

You walk down the path, coming across a bridge surrounded by blue lanterns, when you hear a voice from up above.

“Say, hey there! Young one!”

You look up, seeing someone waving, who then proceeds to front flip down, sending mud splattering all over your clothes. You wipe a stripe off your lips as you watch this red Zora stand to his full height and, wow… are they tall. You thought the king was tall, but damn. You’re sure if you stand side by side, he would definitely be two and a half times taller than you.

He looks down at you, and says, “Pardon the entrance, but you’re a Hylian, aren’t you? I was hoping perhaps you’d have a moment to talk…”


	7. Day: 14 cont.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I got so pissed off that I couldnt figure out Gruves name since he wasnt at the top of the tower (and a few others) I restarted my BOTW save. Im that damn dedicated. Its helped me figure out a few things but thats why its taken so long. It might take a while in the future for each chapter now since im literally doing everything over now, but enjoy this extra long chapter.

The Zora noticed your new state of dirtiness, and apologized profusely. He offered you a handkerchief that was wet with the rain, which helped with your face. Your clothes, however, would continue to suffer. Apologizing once more, he introduced himself as Prince Sidon, heir to the throne of the Zora people. Throughout the entire conversation, he complimented you extensively. It made you a bit uncomfortable at first since you weren’t used to the amount of attention, but you liked it after a bit. He asked you to help save the Domain from Vah Ruta, which has been making constant rainfall.

You agree to his request, and he flashes you his sharp teeth as he shakes your hands, thanking you once more. He recommends taking the path ahead, as you can’t climb with all the rain falling. He tells you that the path ahead is littered with monsters that can use electric attacks, but gives you an electricity resistance elixir to help you. He then jumps into the river, saying that he will help clear the river ahead for you.

Now alone, you jump into the river yourself to help clean your clothes. The tower next to the bridge was surrounded by Bokoblins who did not find the constant rain pleasant. You made use of what words you now knew to communicate that you would take care of it. You wish you could have stayed behind and asked them to teach you a few more words, but you had a job to do. 

On top of the tower was a Zora called Gruve. He told you he had climbed all the way up to try and spot a Hylian to send along to the Prince, but couldn’t get back down. He told you that he did, however, see you run through the Lizalfos camp nearby. You should have been embarrassed about that, but you were more impressed that he was able to climb up all this way. Climbing still made you a bit anxious, but you were getting better. He was a Zora too, who were built for swimming, not climbing. He must have had a hard time climbing up the tower!

You ended up paragliding the both of you off the tower, and went your separate ways. The path ahead had a few Lizalfos which you tried to avoid, but ended up having to fight. You had a few broken weapons now, which hasn’t happened at all since you have had no need to fight things, minus the Guardians inside the Shrines. Thankfully, you find a Travelers Sword at a bend in the path. You travel further, peering at the river to your left, seeing Sidon nearly slice an Octorok in two with his hand. He sees you and smiles.

“I was not sure you would come along, since I pressured you into coming. I am very pleased you are, however! In case you did come, I have been collecting something from the Octoroks in the river.”

He tosses you something, and when you catch it, you gasp and let it fall to the ground, taking a step back.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I did not mean for it to scare you, Link.”

“It’s ok; I just wasn’t expecting…that.”

On the ground lays a purple organ, resembling a balloon. You have hunted animals before for their meat and organs (deer liver tastes divine with gravy and onions) but you weren’t expecting him to toss you some weird organ you’ve never seen before!

“I apologize, I will just hand you the rest.”

He swims to the edge, handing you a few more. You put them in your bag while he tells you,

“Those are Octorok Balloons, the organ that allows Octoroks to expand and even to float in the air! If you attach them to something, it will help it to float in the air as well. I have no doubt that these will help you along the way.”

You nod, “Thank you, Prince Sidon.”

He shakes his head, “Please, just call me Sidon” before adding, “Now, please hurry along, Link. My fellow Zora are anxiously awaiting your arrival!”

He does a back flip, and swims further up the river. You wonder if he was just showing off, but you put those thoughts away. He seems kind, and cares about his people.

_______

The path led you into a large camp of Lizalfos who all had shock arrows. You ended up using some of those Octorok Balloons on a crate near the camp to distract them, only for one of them to see you when you were nearly past them all. You got quite a few arrows from the encounter after defeating them all.

In fact, by the time you had reached the Domain, you had collected over one hundred arrows from Lizalfos that littered the path! You even got an Electric Rod from an Electric Wizrobe that you had nearly bumped into, which you put into your bag. You didn’t want to scare the Zora with it, since Sidon had said that they were very susceptible to electricity.

You had noticed along the way that there were a lot of weapons and shields littering the ground. Way too many for it to be normal. You remembered that Gruve and Sidon had said that they were looking for a Hylian to help them with Vah Ruta, so you wondered just how many Hylians had tried to help before you. Were all those weapons from Hylians who were just trying to help, only to die from the amount of Lizalfos along the way? You felt sick thinking about that, and made a mental note to ask Sidon when you arrived.

Sidon had met with you a few more times along the river, cheering you on. He was glad you had put the Octorok Balloons to good use, making sure to give you a few more he had gotten. At one point he was dozens of feet below you as you were crossing a bridge, when an angry Moblin came up behind you. His reaction when you calmed it down was priceless, even if you could barely make out his face. It was just angry that it had gotten a small piece of wood stuck between its gums from chewing on its wooden weapon. You received an appreciation nuzzle, covering your face in mucus. 

The Domain as you entered was beautiful, elegantly carved and glowing. The prince met you at the entrance, throwing his arms out in welcome. You wave back.

He grins, “Welcome, Link! Behold the pride of my people, Zora’s Domain! Now I shall introduce you to the king.”

He guided you through the Domain, showing off all the shops and sights to see along the way. Some Zora saw you and cheered, seeing that a Hylian was there to help them. Some, however, seemed downright hostile, throwing nasty looks your way. You tried to ignore them and listen to Sidon tell you about all the things to do here.

You made your way to the king’s throne, and he was even larger than Sidon. He bore many scars of battle across his entire body, and had intricate jewelry that bore the symbol of Nayru. By his side is an older Zora, who contrasted the kings smiling face with a scowl at the sight of you.

“Father, I have brought us a Hylian.”

“That you did, Sidon! Thank you.”

His father motions with his hand and Sidon moves and stands across from the older Zora, leaving just you standing before the king.

The king peers down at you and says, “You did well to come all the way here! I am King Dorephan, ruler of the Zora.”

He notices your slate upon your hip, and his smile becomes a look of shock, “That object upon your hip… Is that not a Sheikah Slate?!”

He leans forward, and gazes upon your face for a few moments. His eyes light up with recognition and leans back as he says,“Now that I have gotten a good look at you, it is all too clear who you are…You are the Hylian Champion, Link!”

While Sidon looks at you in awe at you being the Hylian Champion of old, the older Zora looks as though he is about to pass out.

Sidon shouts out, “The Hylian Champion? You can’t mean THE Link? That Champion?! So that’s where I’ve heard your name before! What a fateful coincidence that we should cross paths!”

The king continues where he left off, ignoring Sidons small outburst, “I cannot believe it. The Hylian Champion has appeared before us… Ah, so many memories! My mind is overflowing with nostalgia, my friend. I had heard a terrible rumor that you had fallen in combat, but it appears you managed to survive. Extraordinary!”

You knew now that you had to explain how you didn’t die all those years ago, but you didn’t want to explain the… intricacies of it. When something happens that makes you recall it, you nearly have a breakdown. So you explain that you were put in stasis in a Shrine, losing your memory in the process. The less they know the better.

King Dorephan leans forward once more, “Come again? You say you have lost your memory?”

He leans back, adding, “But surely you must remember my precious daughter, Mipha, yes? You do, do you not?” His face looks pained but hopeful, waiting for your answer.

You shake your head, and the king deflates. 

“I cannot believe it… You and my dear Mipha were so close, yet you do not remember her? Young hero, you must have saw Miphas statue on your way up to the throne room. Did gazing upon Miphas immortalized form not jog your memory?”

You had seen the statue along the way, with Sidon saying how that was his sister from one hundred years ago. He had said her kindness knew no bounds, and her healing magic was unparalleled. Yet when you looked upon her statue, no memories of the Zora Champion surfaced.

You shake your head again, and the king says, “Well, perhaps your memory will return in time. I dearly hope so.”

Sidon seems to sense your discomfort, and looks at his father, “Father… I do not believe discussing my sister is helping matters at the moment.”

“Oh? Yes, of course. But first, it is worth noting how remarkable it is that Sidon brought a Champion here without realizing it! That is quite a feat, my boy!”

The king laughs while Sidon soaks up the compliment, smiling.

When the king is done laughing, he looks back down at you again, “Link, I doubt not that you have endured a great many trials. Still, I must ask you to hear my plea. I must inform you that Zora’s Domain is in danger of vanishing because of Divine Beast Vah Ruta. I shall do you the courtesy of speaking bluntly. We alone cannot stop this beast. Will you lend us your strength?”

The older Zora jumps in shock, finally speaking, “What?!”

He turns to the king, “King Dorephan! My liege! Please do not speak so! To ask a Hylian for help… Why, the very thought of it curls my fins!”

Dorephan looks a bit disappointed as he says, “Muzu, I expected more of you. How can you still protest?”

Sidon even looks angry when he also starts chiding Muzu, “Muzu! It is rude to speak that way to your king and his guest. Link is here because I invited him! With such unprecedented rainfall, we have no choice but to rely on the aid of a trustworthy Hylian. Have we not already discussed this and arrived at that very conclusion? He is the key to saving Zora’s Domain.”

He looks at you when he says, “I have no doubt in my mind.”

His gaze pierces you, and you can’t help the slight blush that forms. You mentally chide yourself for letting yourself do that, but thankfully Sidon’s attention is diverted from you when the king adds his own comment.

“Indeed! Link is a Champion, through and through. As things stand now, Zora’s Domain, perhaps even all of Hyrule is doomed to be swallowed by the sea. This is bigger than all of us, my friend. Zora and Hylians alike must put aside our differences and band together.”

Muzu fists shake with rage as he asks, “Have you forgotten already, my king?! We cannot trust these lowly Hylians! A hundred years ago, they abused the power of an ancient civilization and turned Hyrule into what it is today! And that is not the least of it!”

He drops his head, shaking it before turning. He does not meet anyone’s gaze when he says, “It is their fault that Lady Mipha was lost to us…”

The throne room is silent for a few moments, when Dorephan breaks the silence, explaining that Vah Ruta can create and endless supply of water. It has been using its powers to create endless rainfall over the area, causing the nearby reservoir to nearly flood. According to Princess Zelda’s research, the orbs on it are what allow it is powers, and needs electricity to work. The orbs are out of control since there is no electricity to control them anymore.

Sidon adds that they got their most shock resistant Zora, Seggin, to try shooting the orbs with shock arrows, which slowed the flow of water. But since Zoras are an aquatic race, they cannot do it safely without losing their lives, so that is why Sidon went in search of a Hylian. Sidon asks you once again to help the Zora, and you felt then was a good moment to explain that you were instructed by Princess Zelda and Impa to help save the land by taking back control of the Divine Beasts.

King Dorephan is shocked to hear that Zelda is in fact still alive inside the castle. But he agrees that taking back the Divine Beasts would help defeat Calamity Ganon once and for all. He gave you some Zora Armor as a show of faith, which is when Muzu decided to speak up once more.

“King Dorephan!! Surely you do not intend to give this outsider the Zora Armor! Countless generations of Zora princesses have gifted that armor to the one that they have sworn to marry! Princess Mipha made that one there with her own hands, it is far too important to entrust to a shady Hylian!”

Muzu looks at you in anger and he spits out, “He may be a Champion, but Mipha had no such relationship with him. So why should HE receive such an honor?”

He storms out of the throne room, adding as he leaves, “This is just too much, my liege! I do not understand it one bit!”

Once Muzu has left, the king sighs, “That Muzu is not easily swayed once his mind is set. You must understand… He was in charge of educating my dear daughter, Mipha. Naturally, she means a lot to him, just as she means the world to us. Ever since we lost her to the Calamity, he has grown to despise Hylians. I hope you can forgive his rudeness. But what shall we do now? I tasked Muzu with finding shock arrows to help quell Divine Beast Vah Ruta, but he has stormed off in a huff now…”

Sidon comes to your side, towering over you, “Link, do not let his words concern you. I shall work this out with Muzu. I shall return shortly!”

Sidon leaves and the king mutters something under his breath. Dorephan tells you that he is most likely in the square down below, and that you should try and speak with him. You don’t want to, since he looks at you like you’re dirt wedged between his fins, but if he has the things you need to appease the Divine Beast, you make your way down.

You see Sidon and Muzu arguing, with the setting sun shining off of Miphas statue. Her likeness glitters against the sun’s rays as Muzu notices you arrive. He huffs, “Humph. You came all the way here, but it was in vain. I have no desire to speak with you.”

“Listen well, Muzu,” Sidon says, “There is something you need to know. He who stands here, Link, is the one whom my sister Mipha had feelings for. I was only a child then, so I did not know it myself at the time. But it is so. I grew up hearing my father tell stories, some of which were about my sisters undying love for a Hylian named Link.”  
Muzu reels back in shock at these words, “What?! No… You cannot fool me with such a fanciful lie, not this Zora!”

They continued to argue as you thought about what Sidon had said. Mipha had loved you all those years ago? And here you were, unable to remember anything about her. You felt terrible, and wanted to just sink into a hole. You gaze at the statue before you, feeling as though you don’t deserve to look upon her. Your brain started to feel a tickle once more, and their argument faded out as you remember once more.

_______

_The late afternoon sun shined down upon the pair of you as Mipha had Vah Ruta lift her trunk up into the air with both of you on it. Mipha was healing a gash you had on your arm, from a stray Lizalfos that had wandered into the Domain that you had taken care of, but not without its Boomerang cutting through your flesh._

_Mipha was looking down at your arm, concentrating on weaving together the flesh and tissue of your arm, as she said, “I was thinking… this reminds me of the first time we met. You were just a reckless child, always getting yourself hurt at every turn. Every time, I would heal you, just as I’m doing right now.”_

_You see her look up at you, and you nod to show you were listening._

_She continues, “I thought it was funny how, being a Hylian, you looked grown-up so much faster than I did. I was always willing to heal your wounds, even back then.”_

_She lifts her hand, and you move your arm around, seeing that your arm is completely healed now._

_You look at Mipha as she looks into the distance, “So if this Calamity Ganon does, in fact, return, what can we really do? We just don’t seem to know much about what we’ll be up against. But know this: that no matter how difficult this battle might get…”_

_You both make eye contact, and her eyes show the seriousness under her normally kind ones, “If you-if anyone ever tries to do you harm, then I will heal you. No matter when, or how bad the wound. I hope you know… that I will always protect you.”_

_You are a bit shocked at her words, and wonder, is this her way of confessing to you? Your heart is going a million miles an hour at your best friend displaying her feelings for you out into the open, and you reach out for her when she pulls it away._

_“Link, I need to tell you something”_

_She looks away from you once more, and you are silent as she goes on, “I used to be… quite attracted to you. You would come visit me at my Domain so often, even before you became the wielder of the sword that seals the darkness. You were, and are, my best friend, but as time grew, I realized that I also saw you as something more. I had fallen in love with you, Link. I wanted you as my husband, ruling alongside me over my people as king._

_I even made you something to show my devotion to you, but by the time I was finished, I had met… someone else. She-“_

_“She?”_

_Mipha blushes, “Yes, she. I had barely known her before, as she did not visit the Domain nearly as much as you did. My feelings for you were still going strong when she became a constant in my life. I was scared that she was even going to steal you away from me, and I became jealous. The two of you would visit the Domain often after that, and I found my feelings for you fade. I was wondering why that was, as we hadn’t done anything differently, and you treated me just the same, until I realized why that was._

_“I have only just realized lately that my feelings have moved onto another. A woman. And I was wondering if you, Link, my best friend, would be supportive.”_

_“You’re talking about Zelda, right?”_

_She looks surprised and a bit fearful as she says, “Was it that clear to you?”_

_You shrug, “Well, you said that the two of us would visit the Domain, and she’s the only one who travels with me.”_

_“Oh,” She says, “I should have worded that better, then.”_

_“I don’t care though, Mipha.”_

_She looks up at you, and her expression is one of shock. You continue, “It doesn’t really matter to me. It’s alright. I can see why you like the princess, though. She’s pretty.”_

_Mipha lets out a sigh of relief that she didn’t know she was holding, “I’m glad you’re talking so much today, but I find it a bit funny that it’s about this topic. Yes, she is very pretty. That’s not all of why I like her, though.”_

_She stands, and her eyes peer at Polymus Mountain as she says, “You are her appointed knight, but know that I will also stop at nothing to protect her as well. If she were ever in danger, I would fight for her sake, just as all the other Champions would. You are not alone in your task, Link. I will fight for her, and you, and the other Champions if something should ever happen to one of us._

_“Even Revali?”_

_She chuckles, “Yes, even Revali. He is a Champion as well.”_

_She turns around and the setting sun gives her a small halo effect as she says, “Link, I am glad you do not find this to be a big deal. But please don’t tell her.”_

_You nod, “Of course.”_

_“Thank you. Now, do you want to go inside Ruta? I’ve figured out a new trick, and I’ve wanted to show you for quite some time.”_

_______

The memory ends, and the events that proceed go by quickly. You prove to Muzu that the Zora Armor was crafted for you, and he balks, but accepts that Mipha once had feelings for you. He says that there are shock arrows atop Polymus Mountain, but the mountain is guarded by a Lynel who has staked it as its territory. You will need to be sneaky if you want to get enough arrows without dying. Muzu leaves after explaining it all, leaving just you and Sidon. He tells you that it is late, and that you two can do it in the morning. He tells you that you can stay in the royal quarters, and leads you through the winding hallways to your room. You are still thinking of how Mipha did in fact have feelings for you, but died loving Zelda instead. It lifts a bit of… something off your chest, but you feel bad at how you feel a bit relieved. Thinking about that reminds you of what you wanted to ask Sidon.

“How many Hylians did you ask to save the Domain before me?”

He doesn’t look back at you, still walking as he replies, “What makes you say that, my friend?”

“There were a lot of swords and shields I found along the way. Way too many for it to be normal.”

He doesn’t stop as he says, “I did ask a few Hylians for help, but not many.”

“Sidon. I found twenty damn swords out there, and all of them didn’t have any rust on them, meaning they were recently placed there. A few Hylians were carrying twenty swords?”

He finally stops, and you run into his back. He turns, and you look up at him. He looks sad as he says, “Let us finish this in your room, please.”

You make it to your room in silence. Your room is spacious, with a water bed in the middle. The bed frame is made of silver, having the same arches and curves that decorate therest of the kingdom. There is also a chest and work desk with a chair as well, which Sidon sits in as you sit on the bed. Sidon looks at you, before letting out a sigh. He never looks away from you as he explains;

“For the past month, I have been asking for any Hylians help that I could find. Most would say no, as they were simple merchants or travelers. Some, however, agreed. I’m sure some of them did it for the prospect of a handsome reward, but some did it for the sake of helping others. I would watch from the river, as I didn’t want to risk dying from electric attacks. The Domain would surely crumble if they also lost not only their princess, but prince as well. So I would watch them from the river, and some would make it farther than others. I was devastated when the first warrior had died. I felt like his blood was on my hands, and I cried in front of my father as I recounted how a Lizalfos had pierced his heart. 

“My father told me that he had chosen to try and help, and died a valiant death trying to help others. I was still tempted to stop asking for help all together, and face Vah Ruta myself, but father told me to keep asking for help. And so I did, asking each and every Hylian I saw to help us calm Vah Ruta. And more and more people died. I still feel sick to my stomach thinking about how many times I watched some of them die, or how I would have to go find their bodies when they never arrived.

“It was too dangerous to go and fetch their weapons as well, since the amount of electric wielding monsters made it hard to carry a body safely, and carrying metal objects would exasperate that. So, yes, Link, I did ask many Hylians before you came to help, and many died before you got here.”

“How many?”

“Twenty, just as you guessed.”

“Did they get burials?”

“Yes, I buried them myself.”

You felt ill thinking of all the people who died trying to help before you. If only you woke up earlier, those people wouldn’t have died for you.

“It’s my fault.” 

Sidon looks confused when you say that, “What makes you say that?”

You didn’t mean to say that out loud, but you’ve already dug this hole, so now you have to go through with it, “If I came earlier, I could have prevented those deaths.”

Sidon shakes his head hard, “No, Link, It was my fault! I could have protected them, but I was cowardly. Please do not blame yourself, especially since you just woke from your long slumber.”

“But it’s not your fault either, since you were right. You can’t die, you’re the only heir to the throne, and I don’t think your dad or any of the Zora could handle losing you too.” You think back to how Muzu and Dorephan talked about Mipha, and you know that if Sidon died too, the Domain would be thrown into peril and anguish.

You both sit in silence for a few minutes, and your stomach still churns when Sidon says, “Well, can we agree it was neither of our faults, then?”

No, “…Yeah.”

He smiles slightly, and asks, “Well, are you ready to eat then? The chefs are most likely done with dinner now.”

You shake your head, “I’m not really hungry. I just want to rest, honestly.”

“Ah, that’s understandable. Well, I will leave you alone then. I will come get you in the morning so we can set off together. Good night.”

“Night.”

He leaves, and you barely dream as you think of all the people that could still be alive today if you were there.


	8. Day: 15

After a breakfast of grilled fish, Sidon had left you to go grab some supplies to help face the Lynel. He had told you leave and wait by the small Hylia statue near the throne room, but you had gotten lost. You had not encountered a single guard while wandering the halls who could point you in the right direction. You should have just stayed in the dining hall at this rate. 

You continued wandering when you saw a large door. The door was dark blue, seemingly carved from sapphires, and was cold to the touch when you pushed it open. The interior of the room was another long hallway, but decorating the walls were portraits. As you walked further in you saw portraits of all sorts of different Zoras, old and young, all sorts of different shades and decorated in fancy jewelry. 

The last set of portraits you stopped at was a large portrait featuring Dorephan and an unknown Zora woman. She was much shorter than the king, who had his hand placed on her shoulder. He looked much younger in this painting as well, with not as many wrinkles or scars as the one you saw yesterday. You were thinking about how much the woman looked like Sidon, fins and all, when you heard a voice behind you;

“Admiring the royal paintings, are you?”

You turn around, seeing Muzu standing behind you, with his hands behind his back. You hold back a frown, making sure to keep your face neutral. You don’t want to give him fuel for his dislike towards you.

You ask him, “Do you know who that woman is?”

He motions his head towards the bottom of the painting, and you notice a silver nameplate underneath it. In elegant cursive, it reads, 'King Dorephan and Queen Fefli.'

“For generations, Zoras have made paintings of the rulers of the Domain. We infuse the paint with drops of their blood so if they fall, they shall always be living on in this form.” 

Muzu continues viewing the painting, looking as though he is looking at a missing part of himself. “I personally drew the blood from my queen’s hand when this was painted long ago.”

He shakes his head, “But I did not come here to share sentimental memories with you,” He turns his head towards you, and his eyes hold the same hard gaze that he first had when you arrived. “I came to ask you something. You were the Hylian Champion of a century ago, and you failed to protect the land as you were sworn to do. Thousands upon thousands of people of all races now lay buried across Hyrule, alongside the other champions.”

You feel a heavy rock of anxiety start to form in your core at his words, but he doesn’t falter, “Now, the Divine Beasts have reawakened and are laying havoc across the land. If Vah Ruta is not stopped, the rain she makes will cause the East Reservoir Dam to overflow, and will eventually cause a great flood over Hyrule if left unchecked. You could not stop the Calamity one hundred years ago, Link. And… It pains me to ask this of you, even if you were the one who Mipha loved. But, I must think of the people of the Domain. I cannot allow their suffering to continue due to my dislike of Hylians, including the councils. Link, will you truly stop Divine Beast Vah Ruta and save our Domain?”

Muzu no longer meets your gaze and looks to the side, looking pained at asking you. He looks as though he is lowering himself just by asking you such a question. Although, if he has a dislike of Hylians like he said, he probably is according to his logic.

You take a breath, steadying yourself so you don’t stutter from anxiety as you say, “Yes.”

Muzu meets your eyes again, and sighs, “All right then. Thank you, Link.”

He makes his way towards the door, but as his hand nearly pushes open the door, he says, “Show the Domain the Champion our dear Mipha loved while you are up there, Link.” He turns back, and exits. You think that that might have been his way of being nice at the end. However, you realize that you didn’t ask him for directions. Crap.

\------

The ascent up to Polymus Mountain was easy with the help of the Zora Armor. You were able to climb waterfalls just like Sidon, but you did end up with water up your nose. Sidon giggled at your misfortune while you were trying to blow it all out.

When you were close to the top, you ask, “Was climbing the waterfalls really the fastest way?”

He nods, “Yes. There is an old path near here that leads towards South Lake Akkala and Akkala Falls that branches up the mountain, but it would have taken longer.”

“Ah, ok.”

Sidon sniffs the air, and shakes his head, visibly disgusted, “You can always smell these things before you see them, even with the rain to help mask the smell.”

You start to ask what he means when the stench hits you. It reeks of days old rotten meat and wet dog. You cover your nose, and start to ask how Lynels can smell that awful when you see the decomposing hind leg of a deer pinned to a tree with a Zora Spear.

You stop and look at the sight, and Sidon takes your reaction as confusion, “Lynels always mark their territory with some sort of marker like that, as disturbing as it is. Father told me it was to warn others that this was their territory.”

Sidon continues to say something, but the overwhelming stench and the sight of the dismembered limb forces you to remember something.

\------

_“Link… I think we should turn back.”_

_You both look at the tree before you, covered in dead rabbits with arrows holding them in place. Their blood has long since stained the wood of the tree, and their lifeless eyes stare back at the pair of you._

_You shake your head and continue along the path towards the top of the mountain, but Mipha grabs your hand. Even if she was the same height as you and looks the same age as you, you know she is much older._

_“I let you take me all the way up here without my father’s permission, but I cannot let us walk so blindly into danger!”_

_She lets go of your hand, adding, “This is proof that the Lynel that has been spotted recently lives.”_

_You nod your head and smile, starting to head forward once more. She grabs your hand once more, looking frightened, “Link, do you not know what a Lynel is?”_

_You nod again, “Then why are you so adamant about going up there? Just because you’ve taken on grown adults at your age in swordplay doesn’t mean you can kill a grown beast that takes ten people to defeat!”_

_She looks at the Zora Sword you have in your other hand. You had found it sitting unattended before the both of you left, but you were not going to use it for anything like that. You shake your head and pull your hand out of her grasp. You put the sword on the ground and embrace her and let out a rumble from your throat, making sure it made contact with her shoulder. Your mama would always do that when you felt scared and wanted you to know everything was ok, and Mipha needed some reassurance._

_You could understand Hylian just fine from all the lessons the nice lady you were living with had been teaching you, but speaking it was hard. You could manage a few words, but they didn’t come out right like Bokoblin language did. It was simpler, with grunts, growls, shrieks and snarls, but Hylian was just… weird. It used a lot of tongue and you weren’t accustomed to using it so precisely to communicate. Luckily, Mipha could always seem to understand you just fine, which is one reason you like her so much._

_She tilts her head, “So… You aren’t here to defeat it?”_

_You shake your head no against her shoulder, “Link… Do you know what you are doing?”_

_You pull back and nod, and she pauses before saying, “Well, alright then. I trust you. Please don’t get too hurt, I still haven’t completely gotten the hang of my healing magic.”_

_You pick the sword back up and start to race up the mountain, with Mipha letting out, “Wait!”, and trying to catch up with you. Even with the added weight of the sword, you still make it to the top before her, but you stop dead in your tracks at the sight in front of you._

_A Blue Lynel has taken recently killed a deer and sat down to enjoy its large feast. The deer’s blood drips from its light purple mane, while some flows down its scar riddled chest. One of its horns is broken in half, and you assume from how the edges aren’t sharp that it must be an old wound that the Lynel smoothed down itself._

_The Lynel rips out the deer’s liver and starts to chow down when it sniffs the air. It turns towards you, and stops. It stands suddenly, throwing the half eaten liver onto the ground and pulls out its bow. You start to look up in awe at the size of it, but remember what you came here for. So, you drop to your knees, and present the sword in your hands. Your mama would never let you this close to a Lynel, but told you that some tribes would ask Lynels for protection in exchange for goods and weapons. You know you told Mipha you had it under control, but under the steely gaze of the Lynel, you hoped that you wouldn’t die here._

_The Lynel makes its way towards you, never putting away its bow. It is armed with a shock arrow, and when the Lynel is nearly on top of you, you can see stray sparks leaping onto the ground. You lower your ears as low as you can, showing you meant no harm, and trying not to shake too hard from fear. The world seemed to stop as you see the Lynel watching you, and you feel the deer’s blood drip onto your hands and pants._

_After a very tense few moments, the Lynel slowly puts away its bow and reaches for the sword. It grabs the handle and raises it, looking at it glisten in the sunlight. It gives a few practice swings above you, and finally drags the blade along a finger to test its sharpness. It must have done it quite hard since you heard Lynel skin is quite thick, since it easily draws blood._

_The Lynel finds this satisfactory, and sticks the sword in the ground beside it. It huffs, and you take this as permission to stand. You barely stand taller than half of its legs, so you really have to strain your neck to see its face. It smells like blood and dirt, but you don’t make a gross face at it. That would be rude._

_The Lynel looks you over once more, and makes a quick series of huffs. You tilt your head to show your confusion. It points to the sword in the ground, then back at you, before huffing once more. Oh, it’s asking you what you want in return, duh._

_At that moment, you hear Mipha panting, finally catching up with you. You hear her stop in her tracks and gasp, and see the Lynel growl and start to draw its bow again. You run up to Mipha and wave your hands at the Lynel, trying to communicate that she is not a threat. Mipha grabs onto you as the Lynel peers over your shoulder to look at her. You point to your mouth, then at her, and the Lynel understands exactly what you are trying to say. It stops, and stands waiting for your answer._

_You turn to Mipha, pointing at your mouth and back at the Lynel._

_She looks confused and scared still as she asks, “You want me to talk to it?”_

_You nod._

_“Um, ok… What do you want me to say?”_

_Here comes the hard part for you. You should have explained this when you were still in the Domain, but you didn’t want anyone to overhear._

_“Ask to… Pro-tect.” That was a hard word, with two hard T’s right next to each other, and you didn’t say it as fast as you should have, but you were definitely going to tell the nice lady about it when you got back to Central Hyrule._

_Miphas face lights up in realization, but is then replaced with a somewhat sad look, “You were worried when you heard a Lynel had been spotted near the Domain a few days ago, weren’t you? Is that why you wanted to come up here?”_

_You smile, and she looks hesitant as she asks, “Well… I’ve never heard of someone asking a Lynel to do, well… Anything. Will this really work, Link?”_

_You nod._

_“Alright, then.”_

_She steps in front of you, and while you were trying hard not to shiver earlier, Mipha is full on trembling in its gaze as she asks, “Um, Mr. Lynel, sir, can you… not harm the Zoras Domain, please?”_

_You nudge her from behind, signaling that she should continue. She draws in a breath and asks, “And could you also… Please protect it if that would be all right with you?”_

_She still shakes under its gaze as it looks down on her. After a moment, the Lynel nods. You let out a grin as Mipha stops shaking and asks you, “That really worked?”_

_The Lynel stomps a hoof to gain your attention again, and you both watch as it kneels down and draws a circle in the ground, with some smaller circles inside of it. After it’s done, it stands once more and points to the circle, then the sword._

_You are confused at what the circle is, but Mipha says, “Is that the moon?”_

_It crosses its arms and nods. Oh, you should have known that._

_“So you want me to bring you something every full moon, like a weapon?”_

_Another nod from the Lynel, but you make sure Mipha sees you taking an imaginary bite of food, so she adds, “Or food?”_

_One more nod. The Lynel seems done with the conversation; as it walks back towards the dead deer and sits down to eat once more. Mipha and you walk back down the path, and_

_When you round the corner, Mipha asks you, “Did that really just happen?”_

\------

You come back to your senses, and you see Sidon on one knee in front of you asking, “Link? Are you ok?

He has one hand resting on your shoulder, which you were tempted to knock away, but it felt… nice. You nod and hum instead.

He goes on, “Are you sure? You started shaking with your eyes closed and I couldn’t knock you out of it and… Well, it scared me.” His nails start to dig into your shoulder, and while you think he didn’t realize he was doing it, it felt too much like the hands in the Shrine. You quickly knock his hand away, and you stare wide eyed at him, before turning and walking quickly up the mountain. 

You hear Sidon behind you saying, “Wait, Link!” and steps in front of you to block the way. You avoid eye contact as he asks, “Was it something I did?”

Should you really tell him? You don’t want him to think you’re weird, saying something like ‘Yeah, your claws just remind me of these hands that would near torture me for one hundred years’. So you just say, “Its nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“Link, I haven’t known you for that long but I can see that it’s obvious you are lying. What is it?”

You blurt out, “I’m just nervous about the Lynel.” 

Thankfully, he seems to believe that, as he smiles, “Ah, Well, if it makes you feel better, I am too. But don’t fear, my friend, cause by your side is the best Zora archer in the Domain!” He signals to the Silver Bow on his back, “While we use these bows for fishing, this bow won’t be breaking anytime soon if we need to defend ourselves.”

Well… If the memory you just had really was real, you might not need to do that. 

“Actually, Sidon, I have an idea.”

\------

The top of the mountain was covered in puddles from the constant rainfall. The trees nearby were littered in Shock Arrows and parts of animals in varying states of decay. At the far end was the Lynel patrolling its territory, not noticing your arrival due to the rain masking your steps. So to alert it of your presence without sneaking up on it, you stomp hard in a puddle next to you.

The Lynel turns suddenly at the sound and notices you. Its red mane must have been waterproof somehow as it didn’t cling its head like your hair did. It let out a growl as it drew its bow. You know Lynels always give their opponents a few seconds to draw their weapon of choice, which you used to slowly draw the Silver Longsword out of your bag. You found this behind the Shrine inside the Domain, with Sidon commenting that while it is popular among Hylians for its unique design, it is not made often. You hope that the Lynel would understand its rarity.

You get down on your knees and lower your ears as you present the sword in your hands. It’s meant to be a two handed sword, so it is pretty heavy holding it like this, and you try not to cut your palm on its sharp edges. The Lynel seems shocked at this, stopping to take in the sight before it. You can’t tell from the rain if its water or sweat that is dripping from your brow. Probably both, you think.

The Lynel slowly makes it way towards you, putting its bow away to yank the Longsword away. While to you and most others it would be a two handed sword, the Lynel only needs one hand to carry it around. It looks like it weighs nothing at all to it as it backs up to swing it around. It cuts the air with it swiftly a few times, before taking the Longsword and dragging it against its palm. A thick stripe of blood forms and drips from its palm, and it lets out a satisfied clicking noise and drives the Longsword into the ground.

It huffs, and you stand before it. This Lynel is even taller than Sidon, standing at hip level with it. The Lynel clicks again, and you can tell it wants to know what you want in return. So you ask, “Can I please have some Shock Arrows?”

The Lynel seems wary of your request, so you add, “I need them to stop that beast down in the lake down below. If I can stop it, the rain will finally stop as well.” Thank the Goddesses Lynels are smart enough to understand Hylian, or this would be much, much harder.

The Lynel looks at you for a moment longer, before reaching into its quiver and pulling out ten Shock Arrows and holding them out in front of it. You remember how Muzu said you should have at least twenty so you ask, “Can I have a few more, please?”

The Lynel growls, so you don’t push your luck anymore. You take the Shock Arrows and put them in your quiver. You say, “Thank you.” And make your way back down the mountain. Sidon was waiting around the corner right where you had made him stand. He was shocked when he heard your plan and doubtful it would work, but you told him that if he heard you whistle that he could spring into action and join you in the fight. You were glad it didn’t come to that, as you were unsure if the both of you could survive a fight like that, especially if it was armed with Shock Arrows that would kill Sidon if one hit him.

Sidon was looking at you in amazement, saying, “Link, how did you do that?! I was watching the whole time and was scared that I would have to make the first move when it drew its bow, but you just offered up the Longsword like it was nothing! And you asked it politely for arrows and it gave you some! You truly are amazing, my friend!”

You smile, “Thank you, Sidon. Did you get the picture?”

“You’re quite welcome! And yes, I did.” He hands you the Sheikah Slate and you see the Lynel on the slates screen. Thankfully he cropped you out of it before you handed it the Longsword. This should be satisfactory to the lady who wanted that picture. Sidon waits till you put the Sheikah Slate away before he asks, “But really Link, how did you know to do that?”

“Um… It’s kind of complicated.” Not a lie, since it really WAS complicated. You remember how the king made mention in his journal of a boy raised by Bokoblins and how he thought that was you. You also get along really well with Bokoblins, understanding their language, so maybe that did hold true. And the ‘mama’ your past self mentioned was definitely a Bokoblin who taught you that Lynels accepted bribes. Maybe you were really that child. However, you couldn’t let yourself get lost in these thoughts right now. You had a Domain to save. 

“Can we get down the mountain now? We need to get ready now that we have the arrows.”

Sidon nods, “Of course. I will have the chefs prepare us a filling lunch before we depart.”

So you two start head down the mountain, shooting a final look at the top of the mountain where the Lynel was, before following Sidon.

\------

Sidon asked the chefs to make lunch when you arrived, and as you waited in the dining hall, you two made small talk. Sidon was explaining how he got his scar on his fin, which was when he was still a child being trained on bow usage and shot an arrow that got flown back towards him and got shot in the fin. He said it wasn’t that bad, since their fins are not as sensitive at the top as they are at the bottom, but his father’s face when he ran into the throne room with an arrow sticking out of his fin was priceless.

His father chose that moment to walk into the dining hall, declaring, “Ah, there you are, Sidon! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” He nods towards you, “And hello to you too, Link.” You wave back and smile.

“Hello, father! Are you here to eat as well?”

King Dorephan shook his head, “No, son, I’m not here to eat. I was meaning to speak with you before you left. May I sit down at the table with you?”

“Of course.”

The king sits down at the end of the table, Sidon on his right side and you right next to Sidon. You had wanted to sit across from Sidon, but when you sat down he sat down right next to you. It made you feel a bit weird but you liked it after a bit.

The king looked at you, and he looked slightly awkward as he said, “Link, I do not wish to be rude, but I wish to speak with my son alone.”

Sidon looks curiously at his father, “Can he not hear it too, father? Is something wrong?”

The king shakes his head, “No, I just would prefer if he didn’t hear this. This is a father-son talk, not a father-son-Champion talk.” He laughs a bit at his little joke.

Sidon looks over at you, and you stand up and say, “Its ok, I understand.” You make your way to the door and exit, standing in front of it. You stand there for a few moments, and take a step before stopping. What could they be talking about that the king didn’t want you to hear? At that moment, you hear yelling start inside of the dining hall, and your curiosity takes over as you open the door a crack to look inside.

You see Sidon now standing, looking even angrier than he did in the throne room with Muzu yesterday, yelling, “I am going, father!”

“I cannot allow that, Sidon! I have already asked one of the faster soldiers to assist Link in this!”

Sidon narrows his eyes, “Then tell them that they can continue their other duties, as after Link and I finish lunch, we are going to fight Vah Ruta.”

His father slams a hand down on the table, “No! You will be staying here, and we will wait for them to arrive back!”

Sidon’s hands tighten into fists as he asks, “Why will you not allow me to help save our people? Is it not our duty to save our Domain?!”

“I must agree with the council that the royal family should stay and let the soldiers and Link deal with this!”

“Oh, so NOW you agree with the council on something.” Sidon shakes his head, “You and the council haven’t gotten along all month over anything regarding Vah Ruta, but now when I’m about to help quell the beast once and for all, you want me to stay behind because you and the council think it should be some other knight? I’m sorry, father, but I disagree with you and the council.”

Sidon starts to make his way towards the door, and you almost close it so he doesn't see you spying, but Dorephan stands and stops him in his tracks.

“Sidon, that’s not it. I’m worried about you fighting the Divine Beast.”

“Father, I stopped a giant Octorok once before that was plaguing a whole village. I’ve been in fights before and you know it.” 

“That was different, I had no doubt in my mind that you would win, but this is different.”

The king looks down at Sidon, and even from how far away you were you can see how the king is looking at Sidon not as the prince, but as his son. “You are the fastest swimmer among the Zora, but will you be able to stay in the water long?”

“Father, I will be fine-“

Dorephan raises his hand, “Let me finish, please.”

Sidon stops, and the king continues, “I had hoped that Mipha was just trapped inside the Divine Beast for many years, even after seeing blood shoot out of her trunk when she was first corrupted by the Calamity’s influence.” Sidon’s face falls at hearing his sister, but the king goes on, “I cannot continue believing that. Mipha has long passed on. And… I cannot bear to lose my other child from the same beast that caused her death.”

The dining hall is silent for a long while, and Sidon and the king hold eye contact for just as long. But Sidon hardens his gaze as he says, “Then please let me avenge her death. Call them off.” He makes his way out of the dining hall, with the king letting out, “Sidon!” behind him, but not following. You quickly close the door before he sees you, and move a few feet away. Sidon opens the door, and you see him wipe away some tears forming in his eyes before he sees you. He still looks angry, but tries to mask it with a smile and says, “Sorry, my father is always quite irritable before he eats.”

Trying to diffuse the tension, you say, “I understand completely.”

“I would prefer to leave him alone for now,” He says, pointing down the hall, “So let’s just go make our own food.”

“I do have some meat I’ve been meaning to fix.”

“Well, I will leave you to be our afternoon chef then.”

\------

You had made some meat skewers at the community cooking pot close to the shrine, which you and Sidon slowly ate. After that, you both made your way towards the dam. When you were at the top, in the lake stood Vah Ruta. Her trunk stood pointed into the air, letting forth water that poured across the land, and marks all over her body were glowing an ominous pink. You could see some orbs on her back glowing pink, which you realized were the orbs Sidon had mentioned earlier that you had to shoot on the way up.

You both stood at the edge, watching her, when Sidon asked, “Are you ready, Link?”

You nod.

“Then, let’s go.”

He dives into the water, and when he comes back up from underwater says, “Do you remember the plan?”

“Shoot away its ice magic while I sit on your back, and then get close enough to the waterfalls that lead up towards the orbs and shoot them with the shock arrows.” 

“Exactly! Now, hop on.”

You take your shoes off and put them in your bag, not wanting them to get lost in the water. The Zora Armor and Greaves cling to your skin, but are not uncomfortable. The Armor will help you swim up the waterfalls, but the Greaves according to the woman when you showed her the picture will help you swim faster. That will be helpful in case you fall off Sidon.

You make sure the bag doesn’t have any open pockets, as you don’t want water getting inside of it even if it is waterproof. After checking that, you get into the water, shivering at how cold it is, and climb on Sidon’s back. His warmth compared to the cold water helps to suppress your shivers. Then, once you get accustomed, Sidon starts to swim towards the Divine Beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of nodding in this chapter. Link had trouble as a child speaking Hylian due to being raised by Bokoblins for the first few years of his life, so he has trouble speaking it. He mostly has problems with letters that use tongue, like T or D, cause Bokoblins never use their tongue like that when they speak. He obviously gets better, but for a while there its pretty hard for him. And why does the king worry about how long Sidon can stay in the water? Who knows... :)


	9. Divine Beast Vah Ruta

As Sidon swims closer to the Divine Beast, you get more and more nervous. You have only truly fought small Guardians inside some Shrines, and those Lizalfos along the path to the Domain yesterday. So this will technically be your first true big fight, against an ancient piece of technology under control of the thing that could end the world. So, you were very, very nervous. You tighten your grip on Sidon as you think about all the possible ways this could fail, with Vah Ruta knocking you both into the side of the mountain and breaking all your bones, or Vah Ruta using her trunk to hold you on the bottom of the lake to drown you with Sidon unable to free you, or-

“I believe in you, Link.”

You open your eyes, and you see Sidon has his head towards you as he swims forward. He smiles, and says, “I know you can do this.”

Before you can answer, Vah Ruta lets out a mighty roar that shakes your entire being. You let go of Sidon’s shoulders in favor of covering your ears. Sidon does not seem to be faring better, as he has slowed down significantly. 

Once the Divine Beast stops and you uncover your ears, Sidon speeds back up, “Ruta is responding to our presence! I’ll move away and wait for an opening before we approach!" 

He swims a good distance away from the beast’s side, and you see Vah Ruta create three large blocks of ice. You draw your bow and arrow and wait.

She launches the first block of ice which barrels towards the pair of you. It curves in front of Sidon which you shoot down into the water and it shatters into pieces. You hear Sidon say, “Nice work!” while you shoot down the second as well. When the third one is taken care of, Sidon makes a beeline to one of the waterfalls on Vah Ruta’s side as you prepare your Shock Arrows. Just as you are next to one of them, you jump off his side into the waterfall. You ascend to the top quickly thanks to the help of the Zora Armor and are airborne before you know it. You draw your bow; thankful that time seems to slow down whenever you draw your bow while airborne. A Shock Arrow hits one of the orbs and glows green as you fall back into the water. Vah Ruta roars again as you get back on Sidon’s back and swim father away.

She then creates five more ice blocks and sends one your way. The first four you deal with quickly but with the last one you are not so lucky. You miss the first time and by the time you shot the second time it was right on top of you. You try and duck but the corner of the ice block hits you in the face before shattering in the water. 

Sidon turns his head, fear and concern covering his face, “Are you alright, Link?!”

You wipe your hand over your mouth to wipe off the blood, and give a quick swipe of your tongue over your teeth. None seem broken, thankfully. 

“Yeah, I’ll be ok.”

You notice Vah Ruta has formed another ice block that it is sending towards you. You focus and send it crashing into the water before it got as close as it did with the last one. You could afford to get yourself hurt, but if Sidon got hurt the best case scenario would be to do it another day. The worst… You don’t want to think about.

After taking care of that ice block, Sidon swims you to another waterfall by Vah Ruta’s side and you swiftly hit another orb. She roars as Sidon swims away and this time forms three circular ice blocks covered in spikes. Vah Ruta sends one into the water behind you and it trails after you. You nearly draw your bow but you stop, having an idea. You put your bow away temporarily and get out the Sheikah Slate, selecting the ‘Bomb’ rune on the screen.

A light blue bomb materializes on top of the slate which you let fall into the water. Right as the ice block is on top of it, you stick the Sheikah Slate out towards it, making the bomb and the ice block explode. You grin to yourself, as you can save your arrows with the bombs, even if they are in plentiful supply since yesterdays encounter with the Lizalfos. Sidon must be concentrated on swimming, as he doesn’t react or say anything about the next two explosions. He silently carries you over to Vah Ruta’s side, allowing you to turn off another orb.

As Sidon swims away, you pat him on the shoulder and say, “Only one more to go, Sidon!” But you notice that he seems to be having trouble breathing. Every time his mouth breeches the water, he takes in a shaky breath before going under again. You know when you started his head was firmly above the water the whole time he was carrying you. You start to get worried, shaking his shoulder. If he passes out or is unable to carry you, you wouldn’t be able to swim back to land, especially with the ice magic Vah Ruta is sending your way.

Sidon looks back at you and shakes his head before continuing to swim. You have no time to prod him about his state as now Vah Ruta roars, creating five square ice blocks and five circular ones. With each ice block you send down, you hear Sidon’s gasps continue to worsen. When the final one was sent down, Sidon struggles to carry you to the last waterfall, so you jump off his back and swim towards it yourself. He must not be used to carrying anything so heavy on his back. He has to be able to get back to land safely, so if you have to swim over there yourself so you both can live, so be it.

You hear Sidon shout, “Link!” But you are not letting him carry you any longer. The swim is tiring, but Vah Ruta thankfully does not produce any more ice blocks to impede you. You finally make it to the last waterfall and see out of the corner of your eye Sidon swimming towards you, albeit much slower than the speed he was going at before. You ascend the waterfall and pop out into the air, seeing the last orb you have to deal with. You draw your bow and you realize how much your muscles are aching. The swim must have taken more out of you than you thought. It doesn’t help that while time seems to slow down while you aim in the air, you also drain your stamina faster than usual. Damn you for not asking Hylia for more stamina! 

You hit the last orb and let yourself fall into the water as Vah Ruta lets out one last roar. You pop out above water and take in a breath, looking around for Sidon. You see him swimming towards you slowly, and he looks near ready to pass out. You swim towards him, your arms and legs aching for rest. When you both are in front of each other, you have no time to say anything as you hear a large splash. Sidon looks over to the source of the noise, but you are barely able to keep your head above water, struggling to breathe. Sidon sees your struggle and grabs your arm. He uses his last bout of energy and swims across the water with you in tow.

Before you can register it, you’ve been hoisted onto land, and you turn over on your side and cough your lungs out as Sidon lets go of your arm. By the time you stop coughing and gasping, you turn over to the other side and find that Sidon is also having a hard time. Sidon is on his hands and knees, gasping for breath, eyes wide open. Once his breathing has started to settle, his arms seem to give out and he lies down on his back unceremoniously. He closes his eyes and takes in one more deep breath, and turns his head towards you.

“Are you alright?”

“I’ve been better.”

He chuckles, “I think we both have.”

You rub the ground you are on, feeling rough stone. You must be aboard the Divine Beast. You start to push yourself up, but can’t find the strength to do so yet. You turn over and lie on your back as well and stare up at the sky. You start to voice your thoughts but Sidon beats you to it, near whispering, “It has been over a month since I have seen the sun.”

The sun shines overhead, with some small clouds slowly passing as well. You hear birds chirping as well, glad that the constant rain has stopped. You know you should comment on how the both of you should get up, but you know what it was like when you first experienced the outdoors after your slumber. You don’t want to interrupt Sidon from his silent joy. So you were content for the time being to watch the sky with him in silence as you both regained your strength.

Some time passes before Sidon comments, “You did phenomenal, Link.”

You stay silent, letting Sidon continue, “I knew you could stop Vah Ruta.”

You smile, saying, “Well, you helped.”

“I did, but you were the one who did most of the work. I just carried you.”

He sits up and looks down at you, crestfallen, “But towards the end I could barely do that.”

You groan when you force yourself to sit up, still feeling somewhat sore. You shake your head, “Even if you had a hard time, you still helped me. I couldn’t have done it without you, Sidon.”

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He stands up, “Well, we still have some work to do, don’t we? Let’s get started.”

Those words leave you feeling nervous. He intends to come with you inside Vah Ruta? You couldn’t let that happen. You shake your head, “Wait, you can’t come with me. It’s going to be dangerous.”

He nods, “I know, Link. But please, let me help you. What kind of prince am I if I can’t help stop the thing plaguing us?”

“Sidon, you could die!”

“I know.”

You shake your head and point towards the water, “No, go away. Let me handle this.”

Sidon has his mind made up, however, and is not swayed, “Please, Link. Let me do this with you.”

“Sidon, think of your people.”

Sidon keeps his face neutral, but you see the anger in his eyes at your words, “Do you think I’m not thinking about my fellow Zora?”

You wave your hands quickly, “No, no. But remember what you told me last night? About how the Domain would perish if they lost their prince? Were literally about to go into this giant beast controlled by Calamity Ganon that-“

“I know,” Sidon interrupts, “I know all of this. I know I shouldn’t go in there. But I thought long and hard about it last night, and I made my decision that I would board the beast alongside you. I told my father I would just carry you in the water, but if I had told him I intended to do this as well, he would have disallowed me from both. And I did not tell you till just now as I know you were going to say the same.

“But Ruta has hurt my people once before. During the Calamity, Vah Ruta sent a torrential downpour over the land, even more than what she was making just a few minutes ago. It quickly caused the dam to overflow and a flood was sent all over the surrounding area. Zoras Domain all the way down to the Lanayru Wetlands was underwater not long after Ruta sent Miphas blood spraying from her trunk. I remember having to climb up with the remaining Zora who weren’t washed away to Upland Zorana and stay there till she was done, days later, even after Calamity Ganon was sealed away by Zelda.

“I had heard a rumor that Ganon spent much of his energy the first few days being sealed to keep making Ruta bring rain on us since our kingdom is made mostly of Luminous Stone. Urbosa came to visit the Domain once when I was a child and had angrily mentioned that Ganon was once in the form of a Gerudo man, and Gerudos have great respect for the deceased. So building our kingdom almost entirely out of Luminous Stone, which is said to hold the spirits of the dead, we might as well have been asking for it from his perspective. But I’m getting off track. My point is that Vah Ruta has caused great suffering for all in this area once one hundred years ago, and she has done so recently again for the last month. I must ensure, as the crown prince of the Zoras, that Vah Ruta will cause us no more harm. I will not be so cowardly that I cannot see this through. Not like…” He trails off, and you know he is thinking of the Hylians killed by the Lizalfos. 

He continues after taking a breath, “I must avenge the Zoras and Hylians who died one hundred years ago, and I must ensure my peoples protection. And you cannot do this alone. Not only do we need you, Link, Hyrule needs you. I must make sure that you are not harmed while inside the Divine Beast. And… I wish to avenge my sister. She deserves as much.”

You sit there in silence at his long winded speech, but he looks down at you still, and he nearly begs as he says, “Please, let me join you.”

A long moment goes by before you slowly nod your head. Sidon hesitates for a moment, seemingly waiting for you to change your mind, before he grins and bends down to hug you. Sidon is much larger than you, so your entire upper body is engulfed by this Zora. His skin, still damp from the water, presses into you as you hear him say, “Thank you.”

He stands up and extends his hand down to you, “Let’s show the enemy no fear.”

You take his hand and he pulls you to your feet. You both look towards the entrance of the Divine Beast.

“This is where the real work starts.”

\------

Before heading inside, Sidon had asked if there was any possibility of him using your bow. You had a Spiked Boko Club strapped to your back alongside your Spiked Boko Bow. You know he didn’t bring a bow himself as it would have gotten in the way of you staying on his back earlier, but your bow was going to break soon. Bokoblins were smart enough to make tools, but the durability of their weapons was not great as they were usually made from tree branches they found. You instead reached into your bag and gave him a Soldier’s Bow. Sidon was still amazed at how your bag worked, even after you explained it to him on Polymus Mountain while telling him about your plan with the Lynel. You made sure to give him a quiver and plenty of arrows as well.

You saw a pedestal near where you both were standing, and walked up to it and activated it with your Sheikah Slate. Sidon watched over your shoulder silently. You saw that it added a travel gate to your slate, but heard a voice ring out at the same time.

“Welcome. You have been chosen as a candidate to become the Champion of the Divine Beast of torrential water. This beast will be one part of many that will stop the oncoming Calamity. But you must prove yourself to the beast to earn her cooperation. You have chosen one of two ways to do so by activating the pedestal with your Sheikah Slate. You must activate five terminals located within the beast to gain her trust with your Sheikah Slate. Inside there is a pedestal that will give you a map and temporary control over some of her functions to help you complete the task.”

Sidon heard the voice as well, and was looking around at the sky trying to locate its source. “Where did that come from?” He asks.

You shrug. Sheikah technology is too complicated for you to understand completely. You really need to ask Impa more about it, but considering how old most of it is you doubt she will know either. Sidon turns to you and asks, “Do you think we can take back control of Ruta if we activate the terminals?”

“Maybe. It’s the only clue we have so far on what to do. If we figure out something else we’ll do that instead.” Sidon nods his head and hums in agreement.

You took a step forward, but Sidon placed his hand on your shoulder. “Wait,” he says, “Let me fix your lip before we go inside. It must be quite bothersome.”

Truthfully, you hadn’t even noticed the pain during the fight. When he said that, you put your fingers to your lip, finally feeling how sore your bottom lip was. Thankfully the bleeding seems to have stopped when you pulled your hand away.

Sidon reaches out with his hand and lets it hover near your mouth, “Hold still.”

He focuses healing magic onto your lip, and your lip starts to feel cool, like you just rubbed fresh mint over the wound. Close to a minute later, the feeling starts to fade and Sidon pulls his hand away. You touch your lip once more, feeling the skin having been stitched back together like it hadn’t been busted in the first place.

“Forgive me for how long it took for such a small wound. My sister was always better with healing magic than me. I can only heal small things such as your recent injury.”

“Its fine, don’t apologize. Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome.”

You start to enter inside the entrance but stop at the entryway, seeing a giant glowing eyeball surrounded by a thick mound of Malice. You haven’t seen such condensed malice, and it makes you feel anxious and sick to your stomach. An arrow hits the eyeball, causing it and the surrounding Malice to disappear. Sidon puts his bow away, saying, “I should have figured Ruta would be infected with Malice.”

You both go inside now that the Malice has been cleared, and you immediately put your hand over your mouth and nose. The air is thick with Malice, bits of black and red floating in the air, just like during the Blood Moon. You can barely breathe, the Malice causing your anxiety to skyrocket. You briefly thought about how you would explore the Divine Beast if you could barely breathe when you quickly pulled out your Stealth Mask you got from Kakariko Village. You put the mask on your face, not bothering to fix your hair into a traditional Sheikah hairstyle. Putting the mask on allowed you to breathe, filtering the Malice quite well.

You looked to your left, seeing Sidon also struggling to breathe as well. You got out the Climber’s Bandanna and handed it to him, which he quickly wrapped around his face. He took in a deep breath when he was done and sighed, “Much better.”

Sidon freezes however, and immediately touches your shoulder, pointing ahead. A small Guardian is on the other side, thankfully not yet alerted to your presence. You whisper, “I got this.” And step forward. The Guardian slowly awakens and starts charging its laser, but you bring down your Spiked Boko Club onto its head. It starts to rise back up off the ground but you hit it again, causing it to start to malfunction. You back away, letting it explode, making sure to pick up what pieces remain. 

Sidon was impressed, giving you a grin and a thumbs up, before you continued looking around. You saw a pedestal behind a set of bars and Malice, with another glowing eye in the water in front of it. You start to draw your bow but Sidon beat you to it, sending an arrow into the water at the eyeball, causing the Malice to disappear along with it. You start to make your way to it when you notice a treasure chest to your left in the water, and you use your Sheikah Slate to lift it out of the water, which you let Sidon open. “An Ancient Spring,” He says, “I wish it was a weapon or shield of some sort instead.” You hum in response.

Sidon follows you to the set of bars in front of the pedestal, asking, “How do you think we should get these bars out of the way?”

“I have no idea.”

You both stood there for a minute thinking, when you realized that the bars had water underneath them. You clicked the Cryonis Rune and lifted the bars up with a pillar of ice. 

“Ah, good thinking, Link!” Sidon praises. You smile, and you both step around the ice block inside the small room. You sit your Sheikah Slate inside the pedestal, which gives you a map of the Divine Beast. It displays the location of the five terminals located within, as well as your current location and the ability to move Vah Ruta’s trunk around into preset positions. You saw that one was located in the room you were just in, showing Sidon as much on your slate.

“Could that have something to do with the crank?”

You hadn’t noticed it, so you shrug. Upon reentering the room, you see the large metal crank he was talking about. You used your Magnesis Rune to turn the crank, lifting a terminal out of the water slowly. As you activate the first terminal, you hear Sidon say, “Hey, Link, over here!” You turn to your right to see him peeking out of a hallway, waving his hand.

You put your Sheikah Slate away and walk towards him, with him saying, “Look at what I just found!” You both walk into the room, filled with water up to your knees and a large terminal that looks like a strange flower that hasn’t blossomed yet. You don’t recall your Sheikah Slate saying there was a terminal in here, but you step up to it and place your Sheikah Slate on it anyway. Nothing happens, except a message that says, “Sheikah Slate authenticated. Unable to activate main control unit. Unactivated terminals remain.”

Sidon peers over your shoulder, looking down at the terminal, “Well, we only have four more to go, and it hasn’t been bad so far. Hopefully we’ll be able to activate this one soon enough.”

You nod, but you recall earlier what the voice had said when you first entered. If you were technically doing what past Champions have done to earn the trust of their Divine Beasts, it couldn’t be that easy. You both exited the room with Sidon following you and went through the only exit in sight. It opened up to the outdoors, with a ramp to the right that led upwards. You both went up, making sure not to step in stray mounds of Malice that littered the path. You started to enter the room when you saw a Guardian inside as well. You put your arm out in front of Sidon, grabbing your weapon with your other hand. The Guardian had noticed you as well, armed with a Guardian Sword with its only good arm, its other arm having been seemingly cut off, stray sparks falling to the ground.

It starts to charge its laser, but an arrow hits it in its eye, stunning it. Sidon had drawn his bow without you noticing. You take the chance he gave you to swing your Spiked Boko Club at its head a few times, sending it sideways a few feet. You back up, and as it regains its senses once more, Sidon sends another arrow into its eye, causing it to cease functioning and explode. It drops an Ancient Screw and Shaft, alongside its Guardian Sword. You bend down and hold up the sword towards Sidon, “Do you want this?”  
He shakes his head, “No thank you. I am not proficient with short ranged weapons.”

You say, “Oh, ok.” And put the sword in your bag. You have a few more weapons in your bag, but you have an open spot now since you gave the Longsword to the Lynel earlier. You look around the room now that the threat is gone. There are two large cogs in the room, with the smaller one to the left being in motion partially in a pool of water. The larger one is immobile, but you can see some Malice covering some parts of it. The smaller one has a terminal on it, and is being pushed into motion by a strong stream of water coming out of a pipe to the left.

“If you stop the flow of water at the right moment, we should be able to get to that terminal.”

You say, “That should work,” while pointing the Sheikah Slate at the pipe. You make a large block of ice form inside the pipe, stopping the flow of water right as the terminal is slightly underwater. Sidon tells you, “Great work, my friend!” as you activate the second terminal. You swim out of the pool of water and see Sidon looking over the edge. “That is the room we just exited down there,” He says, before looking behind you, “And I believe I see a treasure chest up there.” He points up, and you see a treasure chest to the left of where the large pipe is. You briefly wondered how you were going to get up there, until Sidon said, “If you destroy that ice, you could jump from the cog over there. But the question is how you can jump over there…” He starts to rub his chin in thought, but you remember you have your paraglider with you.

You destroy the block of ice and jump onto the cog as it starts to move once more. Just as the cog gets high enough, you jump off, gliding over to the ledge and pulling yourself over. You look back at Sidon and give him a thumbs up. You can’t see his mouth beneath the bandanna, but you can tell hes grinning as he says, “Excellent thinking!”

You open the chest, seeing a Silver Rupee inside. The dazzling silver light reflects your beaming smile under the Stealth Mask as you jump back onto the ground. You jokingly tell Sidon, “I’m rich now!” as you show him the Rupee. He laughs, saying, “Ah, yes, with that much wealth you must be a king!”

You wanted to continue joking around, but you both had a job to do. You both swam across the pool of water and exited the room. You walked up another ramp with Sidon shooting a glowing eyeball near the top before it could notice you. The ramp led to the same room you were in, but it led to an elevated walkway towards the middle of the larger cog. There was a terminal behind bars at the end of the walkway, a large ball skewered by a metal pole, and a treasure chest stuck in between two large slabs of rock. 

You stood there for a minute, wondering how you could get it to move, when Sidon mentioned how you had the ability to move Ruta’s trunk. You had yet to try it, so you clicked on your Sheikah Slate to move her trunk high into the air. A few seconds went by when suddenly an enormous stream of water comes down from the ceiling onto the cog, making it move to the left. You look up, seeing her trunk sending down water from where you set her trunk to be. You both watched the cog spin a few times; making note that the bars in front of the terminal would open when the ball fell into a hole at the bottom of the pole, and how the treasure chest was stuck to the bottom slab of rock, but the top slab was not.

You used your Statis Rune to freeze the top slab when the rocks were about to drop down in front of you, and quickly jumped onto the rock when it was near. Inside the treasure chest was an Ancient Core, which you showed Sidon in the palm of your hand.

“You don’t see many of those! Make sure you hold onto that.”

Next, you froze the ball when it landed in the hole, and ran to the terminal when it was close enough. Sidon was nervous you would get stuck inside when the ball broke free, but thankfully the bars did not lock you in once you activated the terminal. You stepped back outside, saying, “Three down, two to go.” Sidon questions, “Yes, but where are the other two? I don’t see any near here.”

Still standing on the walkway, you stood next to Sidon and looked at the map of the Divine Beast. One seemed to be located on the front of her trunk at the tip, while the other was located in the middle of her head. You wondered how you were going to get up there when your stomach growled. You blush, and Sidon laughs, “You’re hungry too, I presume? We should have a quick snack before we figure out what to do.”

\------

You both walked outside and sat down on the ramp. Thankfully, the outside of the beast had breathable air, so you could both remove your masks temporarily. You had decided to eat an apple and some blueberries you had found the day before. You would pop a few blueberries into your mouth in between bites of apple. You had given Sidon two Hyrule Bass you had caught a few days back. You had also offered him an apple, but he declined, saying Zora were obligate carnivores. The only time they ever ate anything other than meat was when a medic was trying to induce vomiting.

You ate in silence after that, and when Sidon was done with his first fish, bones and all, he said, “Its eerie walking the same halls my sister once did.”

You stop mid chew, looking at him with your mouth full. He continues, “It’s also horrifying wandering the same beast that killed my sister. We haven’t come across any sign that Mipha was once here, or any sign of her…”

You swallow your food, and say, “Remains.”

Sidon nods, looking at the fish in his hands, “Yes, remains.”

He moves a hand over the fish in his lap, “You might not remember, but you used to visit the village quite often when I was a child. I did not like you one bit,” he gives a hearty laugh, and he temporarily sounds just like his father, “I thought you were stealing all of my sisters attention away from me. I remember when you first visited when you were around four years old, and you got hurt for some reason that evades me, and I saw my sister healing you. I did not make much fuss at first, but with each subsequent visit, my sister was all over you.

“I was jealous, as we had just recently lost our mother a few years back. I had totally attached myself to my sister when she died, so seeing her give all of her attention to someone other than me was hard. I would make a fuss to my father about kicking you out every time! He would just pat my head and tell me to go practice with my bow. I would release all my pent up anger at you through archery. Since you came to visit so often, I became good very fast for someone my age! Mipha knew I didn’t like you, and every time after you left, she would always find me and lift me up and take me to the Veiled Falls to play.

“However…” He strokes his claws over the dead fish, “You know what happens later. Mipha was lost to us, as were many other Zora and thousands of Hylians downstream. I was but a child, so I didn’t understand why the water was rising so fast or why we had to climb to Upland Zorana, I was just worried about where Mipha was. When the water finally receded, and my father sent our best soldiers to look for missing Zoras downstream, I snuck out with them trying to find her. I didn’t get very far, having to jump out of the river to take a breath, then swimming, then doing the same again. I don’t want to get too into it, but I have a condition where I can’t stay in water for long periods of time without having trouble breathing. But, not long after… I found something in the water.

“I had seen Vah Ruta shooting blood out of her trunk before she started flooding the Domain, but I didn’t think it was Miphas. Mipha had just been shot out and was lost somewhere, is what my childish logic thought of. I was horrified, however, when I was swimming downstream and came across a hand underwater. Some fish were picking at it, and it was missing a few fingers, but I could tell from the bracelet it wore that it belonged to Mipha.”

You stare at him, and you watch him put his hand over his mouth recalling what he saw, looking like he was going to vomit from the memory. He composes himself after a moment, and clears his throat, “I… grew up when I saw that. I became an angry child, and truthfully, I still have anger problems to this day. But I never told my father what I saw, because he still believed she was alive in there, even after seeing her blood mix with the water down below. He would have been devastated hearing that. I was angry with you for so long. I knew that you were supposed to save the kingdom, and when that happened, with Mipha dying and how the Domain was nearly destroyed, I was furious. I said to my father if I ever saw you again that I would kill you with my bare hands. But decades later, after hitting my growth spurt, I realized that… you weren’t to blame.

“It wasn’t your fault for what happened to Mipha. It was Ganon’s fault completely. I know now that you tried your hardest, according to my father’s words, to save the entire land. I was thinking about that a lot last night after I retired, and I want you to know that I’m sorry for how I acted as a child, and for how I felt about you for a long time.”

He continues to look down at his fish, digging his claws into its flesh. You think, why is he apologizing for something you can’t even remember? He knows you can barely remember anything after waking up, and you weren’t even there for when he hated you. You then realize that he must be apologizing to make himself feel better about it, and to get rid of any bad blood that might be festering between you two because of it. He must feel bad about having such a grudge against you for decades, even if you can’t remember nor were there for any of it. You don’t really agree with the idea about how it’s not completely your fault, however. Yes, Calamity Ganon was a big part of it, but from what you gather you were an essential part in defeating him, and you somehow failed. But you couldn’t be getting upset thinking about something like that in front of Sidon, so you push the thought down and say, “I forgive you.”

Sidon looks at you and smiles softly, “Thank you, Link.”

You both started to eat again, the silence surrounding you making you anxious, so you ask, “What happened to your mom?” It was only after you asked it that you realize that maybe you shouldn’t ask someone about their dead parents, dumbass.

“Disease,” Sidon says bluntly, “I would prefer not to talk about that.”

Sidon put the fish up to his mouth and ripped its head off with his teeth, and you heard the crunch of its skull as Sidon chewed. You went back to eating your apple, the silence now much more awkward.

\------

After you both were done eating, you asked Sidon what you two should do to get to the other terminals with no clear way to them.

“I was thinking about that while eating and I thought that we should use the cogs to climb up there. It appears to be our only route, and with Ruta sending water down onto the large one, we should be able to ride our way up there.”

You agree, seeing as there was no other clear way up. You walk down the ramp towards the smaller cog, and jump on at the same time, then quickly jump onto the larger cog. You both got covered in water from Vah Ruta’s trunk, but as you both stepped off onto a platform, another Guardian missing an arm draws a spear and heads towards you both. You draw your club and prevent it from getting any closer, hitting it over the head. Sidon, however, grabs its leg while it is stunned and throws it over the edge, where it explodes upon falling into the water. You peer down the edge, and look back at him, “That was awesome.”

He grins, “I aim to please, my friend!”

He peers over the edge, looking at the spear the Guardian left behind, “I wish I had some way of getting that spear, however. I am much better with long ranged weapons than the sword you offered me earlier if for some reason my bow breaks.”

Just as he said that, you noticed a button to your left. You walked over and stood on it, which caused a waterfall to start pouring down into the room below. Sidon says, “Good eye!” and jumps into the water below to pick up the spear. He ascends back up in no time, with a few Ancient Springs in hand as well. He straps it to his back with the large sash he has over his torso, and you both walk into the only hallway you see.

The end of the hallway is obstructed by some sort of wall, and you and Sidon look at each other confused. You both chattered about what to do until you moved Vah Ruta’s trunk to see if it would do anything. The wall in front of you moves and you see that the wall was actually her trunk. You know that there is a terminal on her trunk, and with your paraglider it would be safe for you to go over there, but you doubt that you could carry Sidon along with you as well. Sidon is much larger and heavier than Gruve was; you were scared the paraglider was going to break when you helped him down on it, so it might actually break if you let him glide over with you. So you ask Sidon to stay behind for this one.

“Can we not just walk over there?” he asks.

“Yes, but we haven’t found a way to the last terminal yet. We know that one is over on her trunk, but I bet the last one I would have to fly from the top of her trunk to get over there since we haven’t found another way. You can’t paraglide with me, so you wouldn’t be able to safely get down if you come with me.”

Sidon does not look completely convinced, so you say, “I will try and find a way for you to come with me if I find one, but please stay here for now. I’ll come back for you.”

Sidon stays silent for a moment, then nods his head and stands back. You use your Sheikah Slate to move her trunk to the lowest position, and paraglide down once she stops moving. You saw a glowing eyeball guarding a chest, but you could tell that if you dropped down and tried to get it, it would be tough trying to climb up to the tip of the Divine Beasts trunk. You passed the chest and landed on the small platform on the tip of her trunk. Her trunk was spraying water into the lake, but the entirety of her trunk was damp, making it hard not to slip and fall. You moved her trunk to the third rung from the bottom on your slate, adjusting your position so you wouldn’t fall off as her trunk lifted. You were able to see the terminal, and noticed a wall behind it that you could jump down to.

You jump down, and move her trunk a few more rungs. Her trunk moved upwards, and you were finally on level ground with the terminal. You activated it, and looked over the edge. You saw water pouring down inside of Ruta again due to the position of the trunk, and another glowing eyeball and pool of Malice. The last terminal is most likely somewhere in that general area, so you paraglide off and take out the eyeball from the air. The Malice and the eye disappear, uncovering a chest on the other side of the eyeball. You glide to the chest, which contained ten Ice Arrows. Zora’s Domain had sold some Ice Arrows, but more is always nice. You put them in your bag, and looked down to where the water is heading. You see the large cog moving from the water, but you also see the glow of a flame from a room you had yet to go in. 

You once more glide down, and land in the room, skipping a treasure chest in favor of what was most likely the last terminal. The room had a large flame in the middle, with two ramps to each side that lead to a walkway above you. You could barely make out the terminal in the middle of the flames, but since you had no way to put the flames out yet, you went up the left ramp. You were greeted by some sort of… mouth inside of Malice on the wall. It pulsated, maw wide open with large jagged teeth sticking out. You stood there, looking at it in disgust when it closed itself, seemingly churning something inside, before popping out a floating Bokoblin skull surrounded by a cloud of Malice. 

Your disgust increased tenfold looking at it, and you gag, which turns its attention towards you. Despite having no skin on its bones, it somehow has retained its eyeballs. But with no eyelids or tear ducts to keep it wet, its eyes look dry and nearly deflated. It can somehow still see you, however, and floats toward you. You instinctually lower your ears, lifting your throat and showing the underside of your arms at it, hands empty, trying to say to this dead Bokoblin that you weren’t a threat to it. It floated in front of you at chest level, taking in your display, before it sank its teeth into your right hand.

Bokoblins typically have pretty blunt teeth, but the skull easily dug its teeth into your flesh. You scream, trying to rip it from your hand, with no luck. It lifted its teeth for a moment, before chomping down again, blood dripping down onto the floor and soaking through the Zora Armor’s glove. The pain shot up your arm, and you scream once more. You start punching at the skull, but it continues to hold onto you. You raise your hand and bash it onto the wall beside you, where the skull shatters into a cloud of Malice and disappears. You breathe heavily, holding your bleeding hand, before you feel something watching you. You turn and see a glowing eyeball staring at you unblinkingly, and then you see another Bokoblin skull appear from the maw.

You end up throwing your club at the eye, destroying it and the maw. The club was going to break soon anyway. The skull approaches you, but you draw your bow and shoot at it, making a sickening crack as it split its skull open before it too disappeared. 

Now that the threat has been taken care of, you look at your hand. You mostly see blood, but you see a mixture of purple inside the bite. It must be Malice mixing in from the damn thing. You curse, the pain awful every time you try and move your fingers around. You will need to wash it in one of the pools below when you’re done here to try and wash the Malice out. You then see a large metal crank, which you turn with your good hand with the Sheikah Slate. It opens the ceiling above you, which you use to extinguish the flames below with Ruta’s trunk. When you activate the terminal, you hear the voice from the beginning speak again.

“Well done. You have activated all of the terminals. Now, go to the main terminal located on your Sheikah Slate and activate it. Then let your blood drip onto the terminal, and the beast shall decide if she finds you worthy. If so, you shall be dubbed her Champion, and your souls shall be intertwined until your duty is done. May the Goddess smile upon you.” 

The main terminal was the large one in the room filled with water, you think. You jump down the ledge after walking away from the terminal, opening a chest that contained a Knight’s Halberd. You equip it, as you just broke your Spiked Boko Club on that eyeball. You paraglide down, seeing Sidon waiting near the waterfall.

He hears you approach, and turns around, “Ah, there you are! I was getting a bit worried.”

He looks down at your bloodied hand, and his face drops. His previously happy expression turns into one of fear and worry as he says, “Are you alright? What happened?!”

“I got attacked by a Bokoblin skull that came out of some Malice.”

He looks even more worried as he picks up your hand, inspecting it. The bleeding had slowed down significantly, but your hand was beginning to turn purple around the wound, no doubt from the Malice inside of it. 

Sidon looks at you, saying, “I’m going to have to reopen the wound to get the Malice out. We can’t let it stay inside of you.”

You frown, but you know hes right. You both dive down from the waterfall to the room below, and sit by the pool of water. He was first going to put your hand underwater to help bring the Malice out, but realized that this water has been surrounded by Malice for a century, so he scrapped that idea. It might just have trace amounts of Malice, as you both had swam in the water inside the Divine Beast with no problem, but he didn’t want to potentially make it worse. 

You gave him a small dagger you had bought to help you cut up meat to cut your hand open. Sidon held your hand over the water with one hand and with the other held the dagger. You stared at your hand while he counted to three, and watched as he dragged the dagger over the wound. It reopened, dripping red and purplish pink into the water below. You gasp as Sidon squeezes each knuckle where the wound is, forcing more Malice out. You close your eyes and grit your teeth as Sidon tries to force the Malice out of your body. The pain is intense at first, but it slowly turns into a dull ache as Sidon finishes. You feel him pat your shoulder, “Ok, I am going to try and heal the wound now. I got out as much as I can, but we will need to visit a medic once we get back to the Domain so they can properly treat it.”

You open your eyes, watching him stitch the skin back together with his magic. When he is done, your wound looks nearly healed, but still has some purple lying underneath from some Malice deep inside your skin that he couldn’t get out. It feels much better than earlier, however. You could finish the job here and get fixed up later. You look into the water and nearly gag, seeing the Malice hadn’t dissolved in the water, just floating on the surface like some sort of disgusting, lumpy slime.

After Sidon inspected your hand once more, you noticed a small room near the entrance to where the main terminal was that contained a chest. Had that always been there and you just hadn’t noticed it before? You walked inside and opened the chest. Inside was some sort of helm that looked like Vah Ruta’s head. You wondered how someone would be able to see out of it, as it had no visible eye holes that you could see. You showed it to Sidon, who was just as confused as you were. You put it in your bag, deciding that it could be looked at more carefully later.

The main terminal inside the large room was now glowing bright orange, seemingly begging for you to activate it. You felt in the back of your mind that if you activated this, that you would regain control of Vah Ruta. You told Sidon as much, who told you to go ahead and activate it and see. You walked up to the terminal, placing your slate on it, but it let forth a large cloud of Malice. You step back, watching the cloud circle around the terminal, and you see Sidon run up to your side to watch as well.

“What happened?!”

“I don’t know!”

Before Sidon could say anything, blue streaks started to go past the both of you, and you both turn. The strands of blue were coalescing into a bright blue ball, and you briefly thought how much it looks like the strands when you teleport with your slate. The strands start to form limbs, with one seeming to be some sort of Guardian Spear in place of an arm, another with covered in Malice with long claws. Before long, the beasts body has fully formed, being a mix mash between Guardian parts and Malice, with long, red hair that ran down the entirety of its back, and a single blue eye like that of a Guardian. Its two horns like appendages stick out from the eye, which then flashes for a moment. It lets out a horrible scream, and you cover your ears. You see Sidon grab his spear and say something, but all you can do is cover your ears to block out the scream. 

The screaming stops and you uncover your ears to see it start to size you up, twitching. You pull out your halberd, but Sidon sends an arrow at it, hitting it in chest. Its attention turns toward him, and it bends down close to the water, readying its spear. Sidon backs up, shooting another arrow at it, yelling to you, “Quick, while its distracted!”

You don’t need him to tell you twice, so you start to run up to it while it draws closer to Sidon. However, the creature senses you approach, and looks at you before smacking you away. You go flying back, landing in the knee deep water. You rise up; forcing water out of your mouth and watching Sidon continue to shoot it with arrows. The beast shrieks, and sends its spear towards him. Sidon sidesteps it, landing a shot at the creature’s eye. It shrieks again, before falling into the water, stunned. You stand back up and run at it, driving the halberd into it a few times before it sits back up and teleports away to the other side of the room. 

You and Sidon stand side by side with your weapons drawn, waiting for its next move. It gets close to the water once more, getting ready to thrust its spear at you.

Sidon says lowly next to you, “You saw what I did earlier, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“If we both side step out of the way in time, it will create an opening for us to attack.”

“Sounds good.”

The creature waits a second more before driving its spear at the pair of you, and you side step out of the way in opposite directions. You take the opportunity to get closer to the creature, stabbing it with your halberd while Sidon shoots more arrows. It doesn’t seem to be growing weaker from the attacks, as it gets up once more and teleports away. It reforms on the other side of the room and throws its spear at Sidon. Sidon jumps to the right, but doesn’t get out of the way in time, getting a large cut on his arm. He grunts, and you watch the water below him collect the blood that starts to drip down from it. You yell, “Sidon!” But you can’t wait for a response as the creature reforms its spear and thrusts it at you. You dodge, and charge forward and drive your halberd into the creature’s eye, skewering it on the tip. You pull it back, taking the eye with you, and the creature screams.

You stumble back, landing on your ass. You watch it fumble at its face with its right hand, digging at the new crevice you made. Malice pours out of the wound like blood before it grabs you and shoves you up against the wall. Your head hits the wall hard, and you instantly feel lightheaded, making you drop your weapon. The force of being forced against the wall also causes the bow strapped to your back to break, and you can hear the pieces falling into the water below. It quickly switches how it is holding you, favoring forcing its shoulder covered in Guardian parts to hold you up, freeing up its good hand. The force of the irregularly raised patterns pressing into your ribcage makes it hard to breathe before you feel it dig its claws into your previously injured arm and shreds.

You scream louder than you had earlier, feeling your skin pull apart and Malice flood into the new wounds. The creature shrieks in delight at your pain before doing it again. You hear Sidon yelling as well, but combined with your screams and the creatures, it is easily drowned out. It feels like eternity being pinned up against the wall with it digging its fingers into your arm as deep as it can go, until suddenly the creature lets out a shriek of pain and drops you. You land in the water, gasping, and look up. Sidon must have picked up your weapon while it was distracted and stabbed it, as the halberd was now sticking out of the thin lower part of its body. It pulls the halberd out, sending a thick spray of Malice out with a sickening pop, then starting to teleport.

Sidon runs over towards you while it teleports, and picks you up to your feet. He looks at your arm, his face covered in fear and worry looking at the deep claw marks, before the creature gets both of their attention once more with a shriek. Its hand starts to glow blue, and slowly raises it up in the air. The water in the room starts to rise, as well as four platforms in the ground above the water. Sidon helps you swim to one further away from the monster, as swimming is difficult with the state of your arm. The creature then flips upside down, with the thinner part of its body now floating above its head. It turns its head towards the pair of you. Even without its eye, it must still be able to sense the pair of you. It once again teleports and you use the opportunity to tell Sidon, “I’ll distract it.”

He looks shocked, “But, Link, your arm-“

“It’s pissed at me right now, it’s gonna go after me,” you reach into your bag with your good arm, and shoving more arrows at him, along with a few Bomb Arrows, “You got this.”

Sidon has no time to reply, as you quickly jump into the water and try and swim towards another platform as it forms ice magic. It sends one towards you, and you dive back into the water to avoid it. You continue diving into the water to avoid it, until you lift your head up to breathe and it hits you in the face with one. You cry out in pain, feeling cuts covering your face, but hear the creature scream as well. Sidon must have hit it where its eye used to be. You lift your head up out of the water long enough to yell, “Quick! Bomb Arrows!”

Sidon wastes no time switching to Bomb Arrows. He draws his bow, Bomb arrows equipped, and lets one fly. The explosion is nearly deafening from such close proximity, and you’re glad your ears are underwater to soften the sound. He lets a few more Bomb Arrows go before the creature gets back up and teleports again. You manage to climb back onto a platform, and hear Sidon shout, “Link! Catch!” He tosses the Guardian Spear in your direction and you catch it with your non dominant hand. You yell back your thanks and turn your attention to the monster again. It starts to send more ice blocks your way, and you are able to destroy them with your spear, even with just using your left hand. 

This pisses it off, as it gets ready to throw its spear at you. Sidon hits it with an arrow as it nearly throws it, but misses and hits its hair instead. It turns towards him, and changes the trajectory of its spear and throws it at him instead. As Sidon moves out of the way, you aim your spear as well. When it turns back toward you, you throw it. It flies across the room and hits the creature in the head above where its eye used to be. It screams, clawing at its head and trying to get the spear out when Sidon sends one more bomb arrow at it. A cloud of Malice appears around it before dissipating just as fast, and teleports to the center of the room.

It starts wiggling around mid air, thrashing like a dying animal before it screams again, Malice shooting out of its skin. More and more comes out in a near endless supply, infecting the surrounding water, when streaks of purple light shoot out of it as well. It explodes in a flash of light, and all that is left the Malice and blood mixing in the water. The water lowers down to its normal level, which lets Sidon run over to you.

He grabs your arm, and you try and pull it back, the pain too much, but his grip is too strong. He looks as though he is about to cry looking at your arm, most of it turning purple at this point with the amount of Malice in it. Flesh hangs off your arm in shreds and you swear you can see bone at some parts.

“Link, oh Godessess, Link, I am so sorry. I can’t heal this, it’s too big, there’s too much Malice in the wound. We need to go to the Domain now, before it spreads-“

“We need to activate the terminal,” you say, biting back a yell from pain, “We can’t just go now.”

“Link, you could lose your arm if we don’t go! Or worse, your life!”

You shake your head, “We need to do this first.”

You are finally able to tear your arm out of his grip, and you aren’t able to hold back the scream as his claws accidently dug into the wound as you pulled it away. Your arm falls limply to your side, blood dripping into the water. You notice that Sidon’s wound looks bad as well, being much deeper than you noticed at first. It hasn’t closed yet, still pouring blood from the wound. 

“You go to the Domain and get your arm fixed. I’ll find a way out of here.”

“I will do no such thing! I must make sure you get back safely!”

“Then let me activate the terminal.”

You both stare at each other for a few moments, before Sidon gives, and shakes his head and sighs, “Alright, but were doing that and then going immediately.”

“Thank you.”

You turn and step up to the terminal. Its glowing bright orange once more, and you use your left hand to place the Sheikah Slate onto the terminal like you had earlier. You activate it, the terminal turning bright blue, and you think back earlier about how the voice had said to pour fresh blood onto it. You started to lift your bloodied arm up with your good hand when you see a teal color start to form in the corner of your eye. You turn, seeing the teal light start to turn into something. After a few moments, you can make out a bipedal form, until it turns into… Mipha. Mipha, the Zora Champion that’s been dead for a century.

She has her eyes closed, with small teal flames appearing and disappearing beside her, just like the king. She slowly opens her eyes, and you both make eye contact. The entire room is silent as you both stare at each other, until she breaks the silence with, “Link? How did you get here?”

You open your mouth to speak, but no words come out. So you just stare at her, slack jawed behind your Stealth Mask. The silence continues on until you hear another voice say, “Mipha?”

You both turn, the source of the voice being Sidon. Hes staring at his sister’s ghost, having pulled off the Climber’s Bandanna and you can’t describe the emotions that are covering his face. He looks as though he is about to cry at the sight of her, and Mipha herself looks shocked as she says, “…Sidon?”

He nods, and she takes a few steps forward towards him, the Malice underneath her feet in the water dissipating with each step. She stops a bit in front of him, and looks at him further. She shakes her head, “No… You can’t be Sidon. My brother is just a child.”

“Mipha, please believe me! Please…” His hands shake as his sisters ghost stands before him, and his voice wavers as he says, “Remember when…” He takes a shaky breath to steady his voice before he says, “Remember when you tried to teach me to climb a waterfall when Zelda came to ask you to be a champion? Or when you helped me catch my first fish by throwing one in my sleeping pool, and I screamed because it flopped onto my face? And every night after mother passed… you would come into my room and hum to me to help me go to sleep?”

A single tear falls, and he sniffles, “Mipha… It is me, Sidon.”

Miphas face is shocked, and she too looks like she is about to cry as she says, “…It really is you, brother.”

Sidon falls to his knees in front of her, and tries to hug her, but his arms phase right through her. He pulls back, and the disappointment on his face is evident. Mipha, however, looks confused, “Why did…” And looks down at herself. She twists her hands around, seeing the ghostly teal glow cover her entire body.

Sidon shakes his head, “Mipha… It has been one hundred years since your passing.”

Mipha steps back at the words, “Passing?”

Your mouth finally is able to work as you say, “Mipha, Calamity Ganon came back.”

She turns towards you, and grabs her chin in contemplation, “Yes, I remember. I know I got onto Ruta and made preparations to shoot at the castle, when that thing…”

Her head shoots up, looking around, “Where did it go? Is it still here?!”

You shake your head, “We killed it.”

Mipha lets out a sigh of relief, “Thank goodness... But anyways, I remember that thing appearing in here, and we had a fight and…” She trails off, and here face crumbles as she says, “I lost. It-It tore me to shreds.” She shivers, and grabs her arms. She then takes a breath to compose herself, and says, “And then I fell asleep, and now here I am.”

She looks down at the ground, watching the Malice and blood swarm in the water, “I suppose I really am dead.”

She looks up, noticing your arm, “Oh, goodness, Link! How could I have not noticed before? Here, I will get that for you.”

She walks towards you quickly, more Malice disappearing under her footsteps, and she holds her hands out over your arm. The flesh quickly starts healing with her magic, reconnecting the torn muscle and flesh and dissipating the Malice deep within the wounds. Your lightheadedness from earlier, caused by a combination of blood loss and your head/face injury goes away. Before you know it, your arm is back to normal, and you lift it and move your arm around a bit and see. It was like it was never wounded at all. She then makes quick work of your head and face, the cuts having long since stopped bleeding as they weren’t that deep, and you feel just like you did when you woke up this morning at the end.

“I apologize for not protecting you inside Ruta, but I was asleep the whole time.”

The words make you uneasy as you ask, “Did anything… Happen while you were asleep?”

“No. I died, and now here I am.”

“Oh.” You bite the inside of your cheek. While you were glad nothing happened to her in her sleep, you also felt intense jealousy over it. 

The room is silent once more, until Mipha asks, “Does this mean that Ganon won over one hundred years ago?”

You nod your head.

She deflates, “Oh… But then, how are you still alive? I know Hylians almost never live to be over one hundred unlike Zoras. And you look just like you did the last time I saw you...”

“I was also asleep. I was put into the Shrine of Resurrection to heal after nearly dying myself.” 

“Ah, I see. Does that mean that you are challenging Ganon once more?”

You nod again.

She smiles and nods, “I wish you luck on your journey, Link. I can feel the bond between Ruta and I has been reawakened due to you taking back control of her. Thank you.”

She takes a step back, saying, “I am glad I was allowed the freedom to see you both once again.” She turns toward you and Sidon, who has now stepped closer to the both of you at the terminal. She notices his arm, and asks him, “Sidon, you were hurt as well?”

“Yes, I was cut by its spear.”

“I shall fix that right up for you. Hold still now.”

She heals his arm, which takes much less time as his was only one cut. She goes to pat his arm where the wound was, but her hand phases right through him, and they both frown. 

She turns towards you once more and said, “Since I am now a spirit, my healing power would be wasted on me. I have no need of it. So therefore… I would like you to have it. Please accept… Mipha’s Grace.”

She puts her hands in front of her chest, clasping them, and a blue ball of magic appears front of her. She reaches out with her right hand to it and places it gently inside your chest. You feel her magic flow inside of you as you slowly rise up above the ground, water droplets forming around you, before you drop down to the ground.

You touch your chest, and you hear Mipha ask, “Promise me that you will not hesitate to call upon my power if you ever find yourself in need.”

You reply, “I will.”

She turns to Sidon then and looks up at him, asking, “Sweet Sidon… Have you been protecting our dear home from harm since I parted?”

The tears start to form in his eyes once more as he says, “Of course, dear sister.”

She smiles, “Knowing that you will use my power, Link, and that the Domain is protected… will let my spirit rest in peace.”

The pair of you starts to have small balls of light come off of your bodies, and Mipha says, “I must go. Ruta and I have our roles to fulfill.”

Sidon nearly cries out, “Wait, please! I have only just seen you again!”

She looks at him, and closes her eyes, shaking her head, “Brother…” She raises her hand up to his cheek, and he gets down on his knees to allow her to reach, “I want you to know that I am so proud of you.” As the light off the pair of you gets brighter, you hear Mipha humming a soft melody to Sidon. He starts crying again, not daring to close his eyes as he watches his sister. The song she is humming sounds melancholy to you, evoking tears of your own to spring forward at the sight and sound. The light surrounding you starts to cover your entire body, and you hear her say, “Save her, Link.”

The light grows blindingly bright as Mipha says, “Save Princess Zelda.” Before you and Sidon disappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mipha was totally humming her theme at the end btw. This chapter is so long i nearly died writing it. its 33 pages. You are welcome. Also it would have been awesome to have people accompany you onto the Divine Beast and help you fight but honestly I can only imagine how the AI would help so I am also glad at the same time they didnt. However ive never read a fic where anyone joins you so here I am, satisfying the thirst you never had for it. B)


End file.
